Fighting for Yourself
by selenarose913
Summary: New member of the 11th Division, Sakura gets to meet her favorite captain, Kenpachi. What happens when things get out of control? KenpachiXOC, OCs and probably some OOC moments. Also, it will be a long story. You have been warned. Read and Review please! XD
1. FIRST MEETING

Does not own Bleach or any of it's characters, nor do I own sea salt ice cream! But I do own Sakura, Tamaki, Ryukuro, and Kurotama. They're mine, so please don't use without my permission ^_^ Thank you and enjoy!

Kenpachi: Why me?

Yachiru: Cuz it's fun! XD

I'll only post the Japanese guide-y bit once:

Shinigami = Death god (technically)  
Taicho = Captain  
Fukutaicho = Vice-Captain/Lieutenant  
Sotaicho = Captain-Commander  
Shihakusho = Shinigami Uniforms  
Kosode = outer top (the black part on the shihakusho)  
Shitagi = inner top (the white collar and inner sleeves you see on the shihakusho)  
Hakama = pants (black in Bleach)  
Haori = Captain's cloaks (white and with the division symbol on the back)  
Pachinko = a kind of arcade/gambling game that involves small balls falling through a pinball-like machine  
Bokken = wooden practice sword in the shape of a katana  
Zanpakuto = the swords shinigami use

If I think of anymore, I'll add them as I go along. Enjoy!

* * *

FIRST MEETING

"Everyone, these are the new recruits for the 11th Division; Kobayashi Daisuke, Yamada Naru, Takahashi Noboru, and…." Ikkaku hesitated. "Tsukihime Sakura? Please, make them feel welcome…"

Cheers rang through the division's training room, along with a number of whistles and hollers for the newer of the two females in the room. No one really noticed Yachiru pouting over their taicho's shoulder. Feeling threatened, she yelled over the cheering, "How'd she get in?!"

The girl blushed slightly, embarrassed, but replied in a clear voice, "Yachiru-fukutaicho. In honor of our first meeting, I brought a gift." She smiled softly as she pulled a small box out from her kosode. "Please accept these cookies." Yachiru jumped from the taicho's shoulder and dashed to where Sakura stood. Snatching the box, she sprinted back to the taicho's side and proceeded to devour the cookies.

Kenpachi sighed a small breath of relief. He expected Yachiru to throw a tantrum about the fact that she used to be the only girl in the division, but he never expected the new recruit would come prepared. He was looking forward to testing the girl's abilities. From the reports she was most promising.

Ikkaku was also surprised, but then he thought, 'Anyone with half a brain would probably research the division they were entering.'

"Next, we will determine your rank," stated Ikkaku. "The only rule is to fight as far as you can through the ranks. First up is Kobayashi, versus our 20th rank, Iwamoto." Everyone in the room cleared a space in the center for the two opponents. "Ready? …BEGIN!" Ikkaku yelled.

Sakura barely paid attention to the fights, as she tied her long red hair up in a ponytail. Her focus was on her upcoming battle. Before she knew it, they had called her name to the center. Grabbing one of the many bokken lining the wall, she prepared herself.

"Um, excuse me?" she asked Ikkaku timidly. "Before we begin, may I make a request?" Ikkaku looked to their taicho, who was seated with their fukutaicho perched back on his shoulder at the head of the room. Kenpachi simply nodded, looking bored as ever.

"What is it?" Ikkaku asked, unsure.

"I'd prefer to get this over quickly, so…I'd like everyone 6th rank and lower to come at me all at once." Sakura stated calmly. The silence that followed was deafening. Then someone started guffawing, and once it started it was contagious, except for Ikkaku who was staring at her incredulously, Yachiru who had pulled a lollipop from nowhere and was busy licking it, and Kenpachi. As soon as the laughter had quieted, he answered, "I'd like to see this," with a wolfish grin on his face.

"Kenpachi-taicho, you can't be serious!" Ikkaku exclaimed.

"Pachinko head, shut up! Ken-chan said it'll be fun!" Yachiru called from Kenpachi's shoulder. Ikkaku rolled his eyes at her in response.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked the recruit. She nodded, then added as an afterthought, "You and the others might want to stand back when this begins. I don't want to accidentally hurt you." She smiled sweetly.

"Uh, right." Ikkaku replied, slightly thrown off by her smile. Then as he realized none of the men were stepping forward, he yelled, "You heard the taicho! Come forward!"

With reluctance the group began came towards Sakura. One man called out, "It's okay, we'll go easy on you." And some of the other men nodded in agreement.

Sakura smiled. "Do I really seem that weak?" The division's men nodded an assent. She sighed under her breath. "Well? Come on!" She called. One of the men stepped forward with a slow overhead strike meant for the head. As the bokken came toward her head, a peculiar change came over Sakura. Slowly, then gaining speed, her spiritual energy skyrocketed. Her kindly smile was replaced by a feral grin, and a strange shine glowed in her red eyes. Suddenly she was behind the man and had cracked her bokken over his back. Before he even started to fall, she had cut down three more members.

Ikkaku and Yumichika watched in awe as she continued to demolish their forces. Kenpachi started chuckling softly, then slightly maniacally as she started in on the few remaining men.

"Ken-chan, you look like you're having fun!" Yachiru giggled.

"The only way this could be more fun is if I join in!" Kenpachi replied. He got up and Yachiru slid off his back. "I'm going to test her power." Pulling a bokken off one of the racks on the walls, he gave it an experimental flick. "It'll do." He padded across the hardwood floor toward the woman just as her last opponent fell.

"Let's see what you got!" Kenpachi growled as he shot towards her, teeth bared in a ferocious grin. The woman's only response was to grin back in an equally vicious smile.

His first swing hit nothing but empty air, as a resounding crack fell over his neck. He turned quickly only to miss her again as another thwack crossed the back of his legs.

"Heh," he grunted, "You're not half bad." She continued to pepper him with blows, all the while avoiding his attacks. The recruit didn't understand what was happening. She kept attacking him, but he barely attacked and didn't even try to dodge.

"Is this really all a taicho has?" she taunted. "How boring."

"Heh, is this your true power? This is worse than boring." He shot back, and with that blocked her next attack with his bokken.

Both of the bokken shattered simultaneously. He smirked his wolfy grin, then gave a surprised "Eh?!" as a zanpakuto with a red blade materialized in her hands.

The woman grinned. "How about a little more fight this round, eh taicho?"

"Red blade?" Kenpachi questioned her.

"Oh, yeah," she said, looking it over in her hands. "Not so sure why it's so different."

"Huh." Kenpachi grunted.

"Well? Are you going to stand there and gape all day or what?" the woman teased.

Kenpachi grunted again. "Ikkaku?" he asked.

"Oh, yes taicho." With that Ikkaku grabbed Kenpachi's sword and threw it towards its owner.

"It's been a while since I've had a good fight." He said as he caught his sword and threw the scabbard off. As soon as the scabbard hit the floor they were at it again, both with slightly insane smiles on their faces. They clashed swords, speeding up a little each time they pulled apart. Finally the girl started to lag. 'I need to get him in one blow,' she thought. Her sword flashed crimson as it came down on his shoulder, digging into his flesh. At the same time, Kenpachi's fist shot out into her stomach. With a gasp she flew across the room and crashed into the wall.

"C'mon!" Kenpachi yelled to her, easily ignoring his own wound. "That's the first hit you've taken so far, and you're done already?"

"Mmm. Ken-chan I think you might have overdone it!" Yachiru chimed as she hopped over to where Sakura lay, quiet and still.

"Oops." Kenpachi rubbed his neck and sighed. 'How anti-climactic,' he thought to himself. Out loud he ordered, "Ikkaku, Yumichika. Grab one of the stretchers and carry Tsukihime to the fourth division. I'll be along in a moment to see if she's still alive. Oh, and once you're there send someone over to clean up this mess."

"Yes taicho." Ikkaku and Yumichika went over to one of the closets where they stored various items and pulled out a stretcher, then transferred Sakura onto it.

"What the hell just happened?" Ikkaku whispered to Yumichika.

"I don't know, it's really weird. I didn't sense anything special from her until the first man went towards her…." Yumichika responded.

"Yeah, but she was meeting his blows head on for a while!" this greatly perturbed Ikkaku.

"Taicho was holding back a little, I think…besides, she's not even as pretty as I am." Yumichika gave a little humph as they walked through the barracks with the woman between them. Ikkaku rolled his eyes, then glanced down at the woman. 'What the hell is this girl?'

* * *

So there's my first chapter of my first fanfic! Hope it went well, there will be more to come!

Kenpachi: Wait, you're gonna put me through more?!

Me: ...^_^ *glomps*


	2. HOSPITAL AND PROMOTION!

Does not own Bleach or any of it's characters, nor do I own sea salt ice cream! But I do own Sakura, Tamaki, Ryukuro, and Kurotama. They're mine, so please don't use without my permission ^_^ Thank you and enjoy!

* * *

HOSPITAL AND PROMOTION?!

Minutes after Ikkaku and Yumichika had deposited her at the fourth division's medical ward, Sakura woke up with a start. Sitting up, she groaned and quickly laid back down again, her stomach throbbing.

"Ah, Tsukihime-san!" a boy said with a surprised expression on his face. "We didn't expect you to be awake already! Please, wait a moment and I'll get your taicho!" And before Sakura could even blink the boy was off like a shot.

'Oh no….I hate hospitals…' Sakura thought. She tried sitting up again, and found she felt a little better. 'Well, quick before he gets back…' she moved as quickly as she could toward the window. Pulling it open, she climbed out only to be met by Ikkaku.

"Eh?!" he exclaimed, pointing at her. "Didn't we just put you in-"

"Ssssh!" she whispered loudly and pulled him under the window just as the fourth division boy came into the room with Kenpachi and Yachiru in tow.

"Ara?!" she heard the boy exclaim. "She was right here a second ago!" he said, sounding confused.

"Hmmm…" went a girlish voice. With her stomach in knots, Sakura looked up to see Yachiru's smiling face above her.

"I found you!" she chirped.

'Aah!' Sakura thought and without hesitation started running, dragging along a confused Ikkaku. Quick as a flash, Yachiru followed them. "Where are you going?" she asked as she appeared ahead of them. Sakura flashed around her, but again Yachiru appeared in front of her. "Ken-chan has something to tell you!" 'Aah!' Sakura wailed in her head. 'Not even my first day and he's going to discharge me or appoint me to another division!' Little did she notice that Yachiru was leading her in a giant circle until she ran into what felt like a brick wall. Sakura slowly looked up into her taicho's face.

"K-k-kenpachi-taicho…." She stuttered, looking down at her feet. Kenpachi sighed.

"Why is it that everyone's first reaction is to run from me?" he asked Yachiru as she climbed onto his shoulder, unknowingly piercing Sakura with his words.

"I~~~ don't know!" Yachiru giggled. "Then again, Ken-chan, you did get her pretty hard back there, ne?" she said, unknowingly piercing Kenpachi with her words.

"I'm sorry!" Sakura professed while bowing deeply. "I know I messed up so please don't discharge me! I didn't mean anything by it and it's something I can't control and…" Sakura babbled on.

Kenpachi interrupted her with a loud "Shut up!" Sakura winced. Kenpachi sighed, wishing he was taking his afternoon nap instead.

"Look, until we can determine your strength, we're going to give you the fourth rank, seeing as how you beat everyone else and Yumichika doesn't want it." Sakura's eyes widened as she looked up, speechless. "Congrats. We're having our welcoming celebration here tonight seeing as how most of our men are here at the moment." He gave her a wry look, and turned away with a "See you later," and Yachiru waving "Bye-bye!"

Meanwhile Ikkaku's face grew hotter by the second. "Hey…" he finally said, getting her attention. Sakura turned toward him, still slightly stunned. 'Fourth rank? I thought he was going to ream me!'

"Um, could I have my hand back?" Ikkaku asked with a bright red face. Sakura blushed and jumped back a step. "Ah! Sorry!" she apologized. Ikkaku shook his head.

"It's alright. Come on, I'll show you to your quarters…and congrats, by the way," he said, still slightly red.

"Thanks." She said quietly, and fell into step slightly behind him.

They walked in silence a little ways before Ikkaku remembered something he wanted to ask.

"So…when you fight, you can't control yourself? Is it bloodlust like taicho?" Sakura shook her head. "It's a little more complicated than that." She thought about it a moment. "It's more like…well, you'll probably think this is weird, but it's like I have another person inside me, that takes my fights for me."

Ikkaku pondered this for a while, then asked, "So why did you join our division? Is it so you could gain better control, perhaps?" as they entered the barracks.

"Partially." She smiled at Ikkaku, making him blush again.

"Ah." He said as he stopped in front of her door. "Well, this is your room. Um, please don't hesitate to ask me or Yumichika for help, seeing as how usually the taicho and fukutaicho are out. We're just down the hall." He pointed at the two doors at the end of the hall.

"Okay!" Sakura smiled again. "Thank you Ikkaku-san!" She said as she stepped into her room.

"Don't mention it." He replied, scratching his cheek, and with a wave he left.

'Whew,' Sakura thought as she inspected her modest surroundings. 'This might be harder than I thought…'

* * *

Me: Wow, Ikkaku fell pretty fast.

Ikkaku: Shut it! I don't wanna hear it!

Kenpachi: At least he didn't make an ass of himself.

Me: Oh don't worry, it gets better. =D

Kenpachi & Ikkaku: *glares* what now?!

Me: It's - A - Secret! ;P


	3. DRINKING PARTY AND KISSING FIEND

Does not own Bleach or any of it's characters, nor do I own sea salt ice cream! But I do own Sakura, Tamaki, Ryukuro, and Kurotama. They're mine, so please don't use without my permission ^_^ Thank you and enjoy!

...Kind of a short chapter lols

...Also...Kenpachi is totally gonna kill me XD

* * *

DRINKING PARTY AND KISSING FIEND

"Yachiru-fukutaicho, please stop pulling! Do I really have to go?" Sakura pleaded as the little fukutaicho easily pulled her along by her sleeve.

"Yes, yes, yes! Go, go, go! If Yummy-chan doesn't go, Ken-chan might get mad!" Yachiru said in a sing-song voice. 'Yummy-chan? I guess that means I should make her some more sweets…' The thought of an angry Kenpachi spurred on her steps.

Within the fourth division's medical ward was a room specifically designated for 11th division members. As soon as Sakura and Yachiru opened the door to this room, a great cheer went up. Looking around, Sakura could see that most of the men were already quite drunk, while the rest were slowly making their way there.

"Come on!" Ikkaku threw his arm over Sakura's shoulder and steered her to where the other new recruits and Kenpachi were seated. "You had us waiting, you're the only one left to drink!" Ikkaku pushed Sakura to sit next to Kenpachi, then sat on her other side as Kenpachi poured her a drink.

"Oh no, I really shouldn't…" she started.

"Drink!" commanded Kenpachi, glaring at her with his one visible eye. Sakura gulped as she was given the cup.

"Don't say I didn't warn you…" she muttered under her breath, then took a deep drink. Ikkaku grinned at her.

"That wasn't so bad was it?" he asked.

"Mmm…" she replied muzzily, with a glazed look in her eyes. Before anyone could do anything, she had wrapped her arms around Kenpachi's neck and pressed her lips against his. Everyone in the room froze in shock. Quickly she pulled away and in a childish sing-song voice giggled, "I stole your lips! I stole your lips!" and proceeded to give Ikkaku, Yumichika, and several others a quick kiss. Half the men were cat-calling or laughing while others tried clamoring for a kiss. Kenpachi fell to the floor, foaming at the mouth and spouting obscenities. Ikkaku turned bright red and passed out, while Yumichika vigorously rubbed at his mouth. Sakura pulled on a bit of Yachiru's hair, and before long found herself being chased by the little fukutaicho in the small cramped room.

Suddenly the door slammed open and, darting under the arm of an angry Unohana, Sakura made her escape with Yachiru right on her tail.

Unohana ignored the girls, instead opting to glare into the room, which quickly went dead quiet.

Meanwhile, Yachiru chased Sakura all the way to the 11th division barracks, where Sakura had stopped quite suddenly to lean against one of the wooden pillars.

"Yachi-chan?" Sakura asked. Yachiru had been about to pounce on Sakura, but paused when she heard the odd nickname.

"Yachi-chan, you're so cute. I'm jealous." Sakura stated calmly, looking out into the night sky. This threw Yachiru off balance. She pointed to herself. "Me?" she asked.

Sakura nodded. They both stayed like that, Yachiru in a half crouch staring at Sakura, and Sakura leaning against the pillar looking at the full moon.

Finally Yachiru asked, "Why did you do that to Ken-chan?"

Sakura giggled. "I've like him ever since I heard about him. You too, Yachi-chan. You guys inspired me to keep on living when I was down. I guess I'm drunk. I don't know. I've never told anyone that." She giggled again. Sakura pulled away from the pillar, then picked up Yachiru with a grin and twirled her around.

"Eeek!" Yachiru squealed.

"How about this," asked Sakura, setting her down gently, "Whenever you ask, I'll make snacks for you."

"Really! You will?!" Yachiru bubbled, her eyes sparkling. Sakura nodded. "Yay!" Yachiru yelled. Sakura laughed as she watched Yachiru run and tumble about.

Later on Kenpachi found them, Sakura sitting against the pillar with Yachiru's head in her lap, both fast asleep.

'Che. What a hassle.' He thought. Picking up Yachiru, he heard Sakura breath, "Kenpachi-taicho…" He almost jumped, thinking he had been caught in the act, but when he glanced at her face she was still fast asleep. 'What a hassle.'

* * *

Kenpachi: *glares at me*

Me: *innocent stare* Whaaaat? It's not my fault! She did in fact say that she didn't want any =P

Kenpachi: *continues glaring*

Me: =^_^=...*GLOMP*


	4. BROKEN DISH

Does not own Bleach or any of it's characters, the song Houki Boshi by Younha, nor do I own sea salt ice cream! But I do own Sakura, Tamaki, Ryukuro, and Kurotama. They're mine, so please don't use without my permission ^_^ Thank you and enjoy!

* * *

BROKEN DISH…

Sakura woke up slowly, not remembering the previous night. 'What am I doing, sleeping out here…' As she sat upright, a large black blanket-like object slipped from her shoulders. Wondering where it had come from, she lifted it in front of her. Not a blanket, but a giant black kosode. Sakura blushed as she realized there was only one person in the 11th division with a shirt this size. Carefully folding the kosode, she stood up and started toward Kenpachi's office.

As she went to knock, the door slid open. Sakura jumped with a gasp, but it was only Yachiru.

"Oh, Yummy-chan!" Yachiru exclaimed. "I was just going to get you! Will you make me some brownies this morning? Oh! Ken-chan's kosode!" Sakura blinked.

"Brownies? Yes I suppose….um, what should I do with this?" she asked, holding out the folded kosode.

"Here!" Yachiru took it, dragged it across the floor and threw it on Kenpachi's desk. "He'll find it later. Now let's go, let's go!" she chirped as she pulled on Sakura's hand. Sakura glanced at the now messy kosode on his desk, giggled slightly, and let herself be pulled along by a skipping Yachiru who was singing something about sugar and sweets.

When they arrived at the kitchen, Sakura blanched at the sight that met her eyes. The sink and most of the counter space was filled with dirty dishes, the floor had numerous multi-colored stains, the ovens were blackened with grime and smoke, and here and there on the floor and walls there were suspicious brown patches, as though blood had been spilled several times.

"Yummy-chan, are you okay?" Sakura realized she had not moved since the sight had greeted her eyes.

"Y-y-yachiru-fukutaicho…."

"No! No, I like Yachi-chan better!" Yachiru interrupted.

"Ah, but I couldn't!" Sakura was surprised. Had she called Yachiru that?

"Why not?!" Yachiru pouted.

B-because, you're the fukutaicho! It would be disrespectful…to…" Sakura slowed, watching Yachiru's face go from a stormy pout to an unspeakably sad kitten face.

"…Fine….Yachi….chan…" Sakura said, giving up.

"Yay!" Yachiru cheered, jumping in the air. "Now for brownies!"

"Ah, but that's the thing, Yachiru…Yachi-chan!" Sakura quickly corrected herself. "I can't work in a mess like this!" Yachiru glanced around her. "Why not?" she asked. Sakura stared at her, disbelievingly.

"Well…because there doesn't seem to be any clean dishes! And there isn't any space to make them! And besides that, the stove…" she glanced warily at said offending object. "It seems as though something might crawl out of it…"

Yachiru tapped a finger against her mouth. "I guess there's no helping it!" she chirped. "I'll go get Maki-Maki, he'll help!" and as quick as a flash Yachiru was gone. Sakura glanced around her, trying to figure out where to start. Sighing quietly she pulled two pieces of ribbon from her kosode. One she used to put her hair up, and with the longer one she tied back her sleeves, then started to organize the dishes. Once she finished that monstrous task, she began washing said dishes, all the while singing a song she had somehow always known:

"Looking up at the night sky alone, I saw a shooting star

Though it appeared and vanished within a second

When I think of you, my chest begins to hurt

I want to see you right now, but I can't fly through the sky."

Meanwhile, Kenpachi, Ikkaku and Yumichika were walking down the hallway towards the kitchens, discussing training routines for the new recruits and lower-ranking members of the division. Ikkaku was about to point out that all the new recruits had passed by the lower members without breaking a sweat, when he stopped in his tracks. Yumichika and Kenpachi also stopped and turned to see what was wrong, when they heard what had caused Ikkaku's frozen state. The music they heard was sweet and sad, immediately piercing Ikkaku and Yumichika, and even made Kenpachi's heart skip a beat, though he didn't show it.

They followed the sound to the kitchens, and trying to keep out of sight, they peeked in. Seeing Sakura at the sink, Ikkaku immediately flushed. Yumichika blanched and, grabbing Ikkaku, ran away at full speed. Kenpachi, remembering last night's incident simply narrowed his eye at her back.

As though she could feel his eye on her, Sakura stopped singing and quickly turned around, while Kenpachi just as quickly hid. 'The hell am I hiding for?!' Kenpachi berated himself, and nonchalantly strolled into the kitchen. Sakura had turned back to the sink, but when Kenpachi entered the kitchen, she whipped her head around again.

"Oh! Good morning, taicho!" Sakura bowed her head before turning back to the dishes again. "Yachi…Yachiru-fukutaicho requested that I make some brownies, but the dishes that I needed weren't clean, so here I am!" She said cheerfully.

"You could have gotten someone from the fourth division to do this…" Kenpachi said gruffly.

"Oh…um….well…." Sakura thought frantically, trying to make up an excuse.

"What do you remember of last night?" he asked. Sakura stopped, trying to remember.

"Um…I remember Yachiru-fukutaicho dragging me to the fourth division…and then…eh heh, I don't remember!" she smiled sheepishly.

"Is that so…" Kenpachi replied softly. Suddenly he became very interested in the ceiling. Sakura finished the dishes in silence, desperately trying to remember the previous night. She remembered Yachiru spurring her on with threats of an angry Kenpachi…she entered the room, Ikkaku said something about drinking….drinking…. 'Oh no…' she inwardly groaned.

"Um, taicho?" she asked hesitantly.

"What?" he grunted.

"Did I…what exactly did I do last night?" she held her breath waiting for a response. Kenpachi turned his head away.

"Apparently you get drunk pretty damn easily. I guess you thought it would be a good idea to kiss half the division…including your taicho." Kenpachi heard the crash of a plate breaking, and turned his head to see Sakura, face red like a lobster, at the other end of the kitchen. "Oye…" he said sullenly. "I'm not going to bite your head off."

Sakura didn't know what to do. Kissing half the division was bad enough, but she had also kissed the taicho?!

Next to the sink, Kenpachi muttered, "You broke a dish…" and bent to start picking up the pieces.

"Ah, I'm sorry!" Sakura said, and rushed back to help pick up the pieces. She was picking them up with one hand and putting them into the other, when at the same time they reached for the same piece, accidentally brushing their hands together. Once again, Sakura was at the other end of the room, face bright red and heart pounding. In her surprised dash across the room, she had forgotten the shards of the broken dish which were now clutched in her hand. Although her hand bled now, she didn't feel it.

"Geez." Kenpachi grumbled. "You'd think I had bitten you." If it were possible, Sakura flushed a brighter crimson. A thought struck Kenpachi, a thought that made that wolfish grin spread across his face. A grin that made Sakura very, very nervous as he sauntered toward her. She tried to flinch away as he took hold of her injured hand, but his grip held her fast.

"Let me see." He commanded, the grin still playing on his lips. Hesitantly she opened her hand, face still flushed. Then with a tenderness unsuited for a blood-lusting man like him, he began to pull the shards out, transferring them to his other hand. He worked in silence, picking them out one by one until her hand was free of the pieces. The entire time her hand had been healing itself, until all that was left was blood stains. Finding some blood on her fingertip, Kenpachi raised it to his mouth. Mesmerized, Sakura watched, holding her breath until her digit reached his lips, at which point something snapped within her and she promptly fainted into his arms, a gust of steam coming from her red-hot face.

Kenpachi chuckled softly at the girl in his arms. 'This might actually by fun,' he thought to himself. Carrying her gently, he walked into the hallway, where he almost ran over Aramaki.

"T-t-t-t-taicho!" Aramaki stuttered, trying to quickly move out of the way.

"Oh, uh, Aramaki, right?" Kenpachi asked. "Grab a bunch of guys and go clean the kitchen."

"B-b-but taicho!" Aramaki hesitated.

"Got a problem with that?" Kenpachi glared at him with his uncovered eye.

"N-n-n-no!" Aramaki exclaimed as he shrunk back. Kenpachi nodded in response, and continued to Sakura's room.

'What'd he do to her now?' Aramaki wondered.

* * *

Me: Oh my, Ken-chan. You're gonna get yourself burnt.

Kenpachi: Heh, I never realized how fun teasing a timid girl would be =D Wait...you aren't going to turn me even more OOC are you...?

Me: ...=^_^;= Nyao?

Kenpachi: *glares*

Me: ...^_^ *glomps*

Kenpachi: CUT IT OUT!


	5. BANKAI!

Does not own Bleach or any of it's characters, nor do I own sea salt ice cream! But I do own Sakura, Tamaki, Ryukuro, and Kurotama. They're mine, so please don't use without my permission ^_^ Thank you and enjoy!

* * *

BANKAI

"You know, that's beginning to get a little old." Kenpachi muttered, glaring at the frantic girl across the room.

Sakura was confused. Somehow she had woken up curled against her taicho's chest. It had been nice, and warm, and…her face heated. Kenpachi sighed.

"You fainted, so I carried you here. I was going to just leave you here but you wouldn't let go. I tried to pull your hand off , but it didn't work." He explained, showing her the wrinkles on his kosode. "So since it was about time for my afternoon nap anyway, I decided to take a nap. Until your shrill scream and shoving away woke me up." He wiggled a finger in his ear. "So…I'm going back to sleep now. If you want you can come back over here. I don't really care what you do, but I'm tired."

"You should leave, taicho." Sakura said, straining to stay in control. Unfortunately, Kenpachi took one look at her and said the wrong thing. "No." Sakura's eyes narrowed, and started to glow, and this time Kenpachi could feel the change in the air around her.

"Get out." She demanded, as her zanpakuto began to materialize in her hand, and she started to unsheathe it.

"Oh, is that how it is." Kenpachi looked at her warily. "You…don't seem yourself." He tiredly said.

"I'm not. Now, GET OUT!" she yelled at him. He merely grinned in response.

The woman ran at him with a swing of her sword toward his arm. Kenpachi lazily caught it with his bare hand, and by pulling the sword closer to him, drew her to him as well.

"So then who are you?" he chuckled in an almost evil manner. The woman was stunned. He had caught a sword that was meant to lop off his arm with his bare hand! She tried to pull away, but he only pulled her closer until they were only inches apart.

"That's it," she said angrily, and in a dark voice intoned, "BAN-KAI." Suddenly the tiny room that was Sakura's blew apart as her spiritual energy exploded. Kenpachi was thrown out into the corridor of the barracks. When the dust settled, he could see Sakura suspended in midair, supported by black feathery wings. Twirling down her arms were red thorny vines which ended at her knuckles. From her knuckles sprang four long deadly-seeming claws. Kenpachi looked on in what was almost awe, as the thing that had been Sakura put her hands up to her head. He could see blood pouring from various places on her arms due to the thorns. He realized her lips were moving so he strained to hear what she was saying.

"No, no, no, no, no…" she was muttering to herself, as a whirlwind started swirling around her.

"Ken-chan!" Yachiru popped up on Kenpachi's shoulder as he stood up. "What happened? What's wrong with Yummy-chan?" she asked. A crowd began forming in the now obliterated hallway.

"'Yummy-chan'?!" Kenpachi replied. "I guess 'Yummy-chan' knows bankai." He answered her question. "Not very well though. It seems she can't control it. Yachiru, I need you to get off…I need to see if knocking her out will bring her back to normal again." Yachiru obligingly jumped back off. The whirlwind suddenly dissipated into an overcast sky and without a moment's notice, Sakura had used those claws to leave four deep gashes across Kenpachi's chest. Kenpachi in return had barely managed to step back, leaving the gashes deep, but not fatal. Pulling his zanpakuto from his hip, he blocked another sweep of her claws that was aimed at his shoulder. Using his other arm he tried to swing his fist at her stomach, but with a flap of her wings she was back in the air. She disappeared from view again, and reappeared at his side, swiping at his neck. Before she could get a fatal blow, he dodged behind her and grabbed one of her wings. Swiftly she pushed back into his arm and swung at him, leaving behind another trail of deep scratches in his chest. Growling, Kenpachi ripped the wing he held from her back. A spray of blood accompanied the tear as she dashed off, but Sakura seemed to pay no mind. As if to show that the wound didn't matter to her, she reached behind herself with her claws and cut the other wing off. For a moment they stood there, tense, staring at each other. Then Kenpachi began chuckling softly and dropped his sword. With that, Sakura charged. Time seemed to slow down for the 11th Division as Kenpachi got stabbed in the chest. Blood ran down Sakura's claw blades. Disregarding the thorny vines, he grabbed her wrist before she could jump back, then grabbed her other wrist as she swung at him. Pulling her closer, he whispered in her ear.

"Happy now?" he asked, and kicked her in the stomach. As Sakura went limp, the vines and claws crumbled away, leaving scratches and puncture marks on her arms. He let go of her wrists, and she slumped onto the ground. Upon seeing her back, Kenpachi winced slightly. Blood was pouring from a large wound in the center of her back, where two long thin scars met. 'I don't get it…when she got cut earlier her wounds simply healed…even when I knocked her out, she woke up quickly. Why isn't she healing now?'

"Yachiru, go get Unohana!" he told his lieutenant, and swift as an arrow Yachiru was off. "Ikkaku, use some of your ointment to heal her back." He commanded. Ikkaku ran forward with his sword in hand. Twisting off the end of the hilt exposed the hollow that held some healing salve. He dipped a finger in and pulled out a large amount, then spread the salve over her back, his hand shaking slightly. At that point Yachiru returned with Unohana and Isane on the back of Unohana's Minazuki. One of the 11th division members helped Unohana down from Minazuki, while Isane slid down and Yachiru simply hopped off.

"Zaraki-taicho, what happened?" Unohana asked. Kenpachi shrugged slightly.

"We just had a little problem with control."

"Mmmhmm." Unohana hummed skeptically. She knelt to inspect the fallen girl. "Ikkaku-san, you used your ointment on her?" she asked as she motioned to Isane to sit on the other side of Sakura.

"Uh, yes Unohana-taicho." Ikkaku nodded.

"It didn't stop the bleeding." Unohana said. Ikkaku was shocked. 'That stuff works on everything…what kind of wound wouldn't be healed by that ointment?!' "Isane-san, I may need the bandages. Have them ready please." Unohana placed her palm over Sakura's wound. She concentrated, and a green light formed, pulsating towards the gash. Slowly, very slowly the gash started to stitch together.

"Isane-san, I need you to make a large square of gauze, and when I tell you to, apply it directly on the wound. Zaraki-taicho, Ikkaku-san, I may need you to hold her down by the shoulders. She isn't healing well and I don't know what might happen." Unohana waited until the gash had completely stitched together, then removed her hand. The skin remained intact, except for deep bruising. Gently she brushed her hand across the bruise, but like an overripe fruit, her skin split and she started bleeding again. "Now!" Unohana commanded, and several things happened almost at once. Isane pressed the gauze against Sakura's back, but the moment the gauze touched her back, Sakura arched and started convulsing violently. Kenpachi and Ikkaku both took an arm and held her down at the elbow and shoulder. Unohana held her hand over Sakura's head, and slowly the tremors through her body died down. She sighed gently, and began taping the gauze down.

"She'll be fine for the moment. Isane-san, would you please help me wrap her up. Actually, on second thought…" she glanced at the swarm of men around them, and gently commanded, "Minazuki." With that the giant beast's long tongue rolled out, discreetly pulled Sakura free of Kenpachi and Ikkaku, and brought her into its mouth. "We'll let her heal a while inside Minazuki's stomach." Unohana finished. "Come, Isane-san."

"Wouldn't it be better for her if you just finished fixing her up here?" Ikkaku asked, confused.

Kenpachi glared at him. "Did you forget she's a woman?" he reminded Ikkaku.

"So…? Oh yeah…." Ikkaku reddened at the thought. Kenpachi shook his head, and turned to Unohana who, along with Isane, was back up on Minazuki. "I'll be along in a moment." He told her, then turned back to Ikkaku. As Minazuki took off, he began giving orders for clean-up. A small seed of concern rose in his mind, but he quickly squished it down. 'Concern? The hell am I concerned about.'

* * *

{Unohana: Why is it always the 11th division?

Me: Because…they like to have fun?

Unohana: *drinking tea* You have a point.

Me: *thinking*(Where on earth did the tea come from?!)

Unohana: *smiles* It was here the whole time! ^_^

Me: …^_^;;;;;;;;;;;;;


	6. AKAIBARANOAI AND THE CLOSED DOOR

Does not own Bleach or any of it's characters, nor do I own sea salt ice cream! But I do own Sakura, Tamaki, Ryukuro, and Kurotama. They're mine, so please don't use without my permission ^_^

Thank you all for reading this far! I'm planning on updating on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but decided to do it early this week ^_^;; So please stay tuned!

* * *

AKAIBARA-NO-AI AND THE CLOSED DOOR

Sakura was floating in a white space. Before her floated something akin to a copy of herself, except this other had brighter, cat-like eyes that glowed, her hair fell in a way that hid half of her face, and instead of the shihakusho that Sakura wore, she wore a sleeveless white mini-dress.

"Akai…" Sakura whispered softly, reaching toward her zanpakuto.

"Sakura." Akai whispered back just as softly, simultaneously reaching toward Sakura.

"Why?" Sakura asked gently, taking Akai's hand. "Why did you try to kill him?"

Akai pouted. "He was being too familiar." She replied, gripping Sakura's hand. Sakura sighed.

"You can't kill everyone that becomes familiar with me, you know." She said, slightly worn.

"Wanna bet?" Akai asked with an impish smile on her face, then seeing Sakura's face waved it away. "Fine, fine. I won't kill your lover boy. I'll just…play with him a little. He is handsome in a scary, rugged way I guess." Sakura flushed a little.

"He's not my lover boy!" she said, her voice becoming slightly shrill. "Akai! You have to promise not to use bankai around him again!" Sakura commanded. "I don't even know what possessed you to do it in the first place!"

"He was crowding me! It was freaking me out! Besides, I had it under control…"

"No you didn't! Akaibara-no-Ai!" Akai winced, hearing the name, and started to float off, sniffling. Sakura exhaled, reining back her temper, and floated after Akai.

"I'm sorry. I know how much you don't like that." Sakura hugged Akai from behind. "I just don't know what to do anymore. I know you saved me before, but I think I need to learn to fight for myself, too." Akai nodded slightly.

"I know, but at the same time I don't want to let you go." Akai whispered, holding tightly onto Sakura's arms. Sakura felt a tug on her body, and sighed again.

"It's time for me to go." She said gently.

"I know."

"Ah! Ken-chan, she's coming around!" chirped a voice.

"Well no wonder, with the way you were smacking her cheeks!" a deep gruff voice replied.

"Shut up Ken-chan, I was just helping her wake up!" The cute voice chirped again.

"Of course you were." The gruff voice muttered.

Slowly Sakura opened her eyes. Yachiru's face was inches away from Sakura's.

"Good morning, Yummy-chan!"

"Mmm. Yachi-chan, good morning! Wait, morning? How long was I out for?" she asked feeling slightly muddled. She noticed bandages on her arms and midsection and tried scratching at them.

"Three days." Kenpachi answered, thinking, 'Yachi-chan? Yummy-chan? What the hell did I miss?'

"Three days?!" Sakura exclaimed, trying to sit up. Kenpachi got up from the chair he had been sitting in and easily pushed his finger against her forehead, making her fall back onto the bed.

"We have plenty of time to go over all the things you've been hiding. For instance, you know bankai. Or maybe the fact that you can materialize your zanpakuto and seemingly hide it at will. Or how about these scars you have?" he asked, pointing at her throat, where a long scar covered her neck from side to side. "Before, this was hidden by that choker you were wearing, and the scars on your back. How did you get them?" He demanded. Sakura looked away from them staring at her.

In a steady voice she began her story. "Well these scars are probably the easiest starting point. I was sent to the 80th District of South Rukongai when I died. I was found by a kindly old grandmother on the outskirts of town, but of course in that kind of place it didn't last long. Before everything was destroyed, I would have dreams of a young woman who looked exactly like me, calling my name. Then some bandits came by. Burned down the tiny cottage we lived in. Killed the old grandmother in front of my eyes. Used me over and over again. Tried to kill me. That's when things…got out of hand. What I think happened was somehow the woman from my dreams…my zanpakuto, Akai …became me. Somehow having her within me healed me well enough to keep me from death's door, and she cut down the bandits that had tried to kill me. I think it's from the trauma, and the chaotic way my zanpakuto was pulled from me that causes me to lose control…" she finished, shrugging her shoulders. Kenpachi and Yachiru sat in silence, absorbing all they had heard.

Finally Yachiru piped up, "So the bad guys…they're all dead now?"

"Yes." Sakura smiled gently. "The bad guys are all dead."

"That's good." Yachiru said, smiling back.

"I think we're going to have to find a way to seal your bankai." Kenpachi said thoughtfully.

"That means a trip to Mayurin's!" Yachiru exclaimed. "Nemu-rin gets me yummy snacks too!" she chirped.

"Not just yet," said Kenpachi. "I think first we should check on Sakura-san's wounds." Sakura blushed a little. "Oh right, you'll probably want me to leave." Kenpachi grunted. "First thought, let's check your arms." Again with that strange tenderness he gently unwrapped her arms. "Why didn't these heal up immediately like your other wounds?" he asked, checking her arms. They had faded to little scars that would easily disappear with a little time.

"Well…Akai kind of has two sides to her. The bankai side, the part she can't control? That side…uses my life force, my blood instead of my spiritual energy. Normally wounds that are inflected on me are easily healed with my zanpakuto's spiritual energy, but since my bankai takes directly from my blood, it has a different effect, I think. Something like that." Sakura smiled.

"It's not something to smile about." Kenpachi said gravely. "You almost died. You worried everyone."

Yachiru grinned. "Even you, Ken-chan?" she asked coyly.

"Of course not!" Kenpachi shot back. "I was only worried that we'd lose a powerful ally." He didn't notice Sakura's face fall slightly.

"Get out." Sakura said in a low voice, looking away. Kenpachi almost winced, expecting to find a sword at his throat any moment.

"Um…Ken-chan, get out, come on, get out!" Yachiru started to shoo him away. The moment before the door closed, he glanced back at Sakura, and saw a single tear fall onto the blanket, before Yachiru slammed the door in his face. That left him confused, which was not a state he enjoyed being in.

"Sakura-chan, are you okay?" Yachiru asked worriedly. "Does it hurt?"

"I'm fine." Sakura said, quickly wiping away her tears. Yachiru jumped onto her bed, and threw her arms around Sakura which surprised her. She smiled, and hugged Yachiru back. "I'm okay, really."

"I'm glad!" Yachiru pulled away and grinned.

"Alright, can you check my back for me?" Sakura asked, starting to unwrap her midsection.

"Of course!" Yachiru chirped, happy to have a friend.

* * *

Akai: *raises eyebrow* this big idiot is supposed to be the love interest of this story?

Sakura: Akai!

Me: What can I say? =^_^= I guess I just like big strong crazy guys.


	7. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Does not own Bleach or any of it's characters, nor do I own sea salt ice cream! But I do own Sakura, Tamaki, Ryukuro, and Kurotama. They're mine, so please don't use without my permission ^_^ Thank you all for reading this far! I'm planning on updating something like every other day? Cuz I can't stay away? =^_^;;= Nyao? So please stay tuned!

I just wanted to say that in my own personal headcanon, I think they have electricity and modern amenities. For the most part. It doesn't really make sense to me otherwise, I mean, they've got crazy evil genius Mayuri in his R&D department and what not, so why the hell not?! My personal opinion anyway…Just sayin...DARN YOU KUBO FOR MAKING IT CONFUSING! _ *ahem* ON WITH THE STORY!

* * *

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Twenty minutes later Yachiru and Sakura emerged, back in her shihakusho. Perhaps surprisingly, Kenpachi was waiting out in the corridor for them.

"So you're alright then?" he asked.

"Oh, hello Zaraki-taicho." Sakura said kindly, but something seemed off. Kenpachi could almost feel icicles forming in the air. "Yes, it seems as though I'm in perfect health, thank you so much for asking!" she confirmed while maintaining a frosty glare. Kenpachi glanced at Yachiru, who simply turned up her nose at him. Petite nose. Turned up. At him. Kenpachi shrugged it off, with some difficulty. 'What in the seven hells did I do to be put in the dog house?!' Meanwhile Sakura and Yachiru briskly brushed past him, and when he wasn't looking, gave each other a secret smile.

"Yachiru! Sakura!" he loudly said to the girls. They turned to look at him with identical cold looks. Kenpachi almost shrunk back, then thought 'What's wrong with me?' and continued, "Go to the 12th division and see if they can make some kind of power limiter for your bankai. I have something I need to attend to."

"Of course, Zaraki-taicho. I wouldn't want you to be wasting your time after all." Sakura replied coolly, and continued on. Kenpachi sighed and shook his head, then walked down the hallway in the other direction. Even if it did mean going the long way around.

"I've never seen him look so funny!" Yachiru giggled once Kenpachi was well out of earshot.

"Ah yes, it was a fun sight to see. Normally he's so composed. I think we should let him squirm just a little longer." Sakura smiled at her, then picked Yachiru up and carried her on her shoulders. Yachiru squealed slightly, enjoying the different point of view.

As they entered the Research and Development Department, Yachiru hopped off Sakura's shoulders and skipped to one of the desks. "HI!" she shouted, making the boy jump in surprise. He had been so immersed in his computer that he hadn't even noticed them enter. His bangs, held in a ponytail at the crown of his head, bobbed as he nodded in recognition.

"Ah, Yachiru-fukutaicho!" the boy said. "Here, I have a lollipop if you want one!" he grinned, holding out the plastic-wrapped confection. Yachiru pounced on the little gift. "Oh, and you are…?" he asked, noticing Sakura.

"Yes, my name is Tsukihime Sakura, um, I need to speak with Kurotsuchi-taicho?" She asked.

"I'm sorry," the boy began, "but Mayuri-sensei went out a while ago and has yet to return…I can have him call you later though!" He added quickly. At that moment, the entrance door slid open, and in walked Mayuri himself, grumbling under his breath, with Nemu not far behind. Upon seeing Yachiru, who was finishing off the lollipop, he stopped in his tracks.

"Kusajishi-fukutaicho. To what do we owe the pleasure of your company today?" he spat.

"Sakura!" she mumbled over the last of the lollipop, pointing towards Sakura.

"Ah yes." Mayuri said, rubbing his hands almost gleefully. "I've heard about you. The one who can't control her bankai, correct?" his smile made Sakura's skin crawl.

"Y-yes." Sakura replied and bowed. "It's nice to meet you, sir."

Mayuri chuckled. "Well now, did you come here to become an experimental test subject? I promise I'll-" Mayuri started, but was interrupted by Yachiru jumping on top of his head. "Why you pink haired brat!" he snarled, trying to snatch her ankle. Yachiru simply jumped off to stand next to Sakura again.

"Mayurin, how did you know?" Yachiru asked, cocking her head to the side. "Ken-chan made sure that none of the others would tell."

Mayuri sneered. "I have my ways. Now what do you want, if you didn't come here to be a test subject?"

"Ah, Kenpachi-taicho requested that I come here to see if you could make a limiter of sorts for my zanpakuto." Sakura said, grabbing Mayuri's attention again.

"Hmm." He looked around Sakura's person. "Where is your zanpakuto?" he inquired.

"Oh, right…" Sakura concentrated, holding out her hand, and it began to materialize. Mayuri's eyes widened. "Fascinating…follow me." And with that, he walked down a side corridor, Nemu at his heels and Sakura and Yachiru close behind them.

On and on they walked through what seemed a labyrinth until they came to a door marked 'Spiritual Energy Testing.' They entered and came into a space that over-looked a larger room. Separating the two rooms was a thick glass pane that stretched from one side of the room to the other, effectively sealing off the workstations from the larger room.

"What we're going to need from you is to enter the testing room and go into your bankai state. What will then happen is we will measure exactly how much spiritual energy we need to seal off so that you cannot enter your bankai state." Mayuri said absently, checking over machines while Nemu started up the computers.

"Um, there's a small problem with that." Sakura interjected. Mayuri looked at her, annoyed. "My bankai is harmful to me…even Unohana-taicho couldn't cure me completely."

"Che. Amateur." He held up a vial. "I told you, I already know about your bankai. This serum will slow your blood, and then after 5 minutes it will knock you out. I've already called for Unohana, so she should be here momentarily. You won't die." He said, then muttered under his breath, "Everybody underestimates me. Everyone! Why can't they appreciate my work?!"

Yachiru had slid up next to Sakura, and grabbed her hand. "It'll be okay!" she beamed. Sakura smiled back. "Thanks, Yachi-chan!" At that moment, a knock sounded at the door, followed by the creak of the door swinging open.

"Ah, Unohana-taicho. At last we can begin." Mayuri proclaimed, and strode toward Sakura. "Drink this, then go into the room and use your bankai." Sakura nodded, and with one swig drank the contents of the vial, which were slimy and somehow powdery at the same time. Sakura resisted the urge to bring it back up, and went through the door. The room on the other side was entirely white, and brightly lit. Sakura nervously brought her zanpakuto in front of her, and gave over control to Akai. Akai in turn uttered the word. "BAN-KAI!"

* * *

And now, a special announcement from Kurotsuchi Mayuri:

If you become my experimental test subject, I promise you a long life (maybe), good health (possibly), and all the money you could ever ask for (depending on how long you live).

Nemu: *reading off paper* Side effects include blindness, deafness, dismemberment, partial or full insanity, and possibly death.

Mayuri: *ripping paper away* Who gave you this?!

Yachiru: Candy is yummy! o^_^o


	8. ASSORTMENTS OF FLOWERS & CHERRY BLOSSOMS

Does not own Bleach or any of it's characters, nor do I own sea salt ice cream! But I do own Sakura, Tamaki, Ryukuro, and Kurotama. They're mine, so please don't use without my permission ^_^ Thank you all for reading this far! I'm planning on updating something like every other day? Cuz I can't stay away? =^_^;;= Nyao? So please stay tuned!

I just wanted to say that I'm making a lot of my own headcanon. Cause 1), Kubo is kinda inconsistent with a lot of things. 2), The things that I make up make it easier to write. 3), Hell, it's more fun this way anyway ^_^

* * *

ASSORTMENTS OF FLOWERS AND CHERRY BLOSSOMS

Several hours later, Sakura and Yachiru emerged from the Research and Development building, Sakura worn but satisfied and sporting three new gold ear cuffs that were chained together on each ear and Yachiru happily munching on a few pink cupcakes that the boy at the desk had procured. They had needed to do a few extra tests, but somehow the serum Sakura had taken worked better than they had hoped for. By some means it had managed to reverse her bankai's need to feed off her blood, instead feeding off her spiritual energy. Unohana even managed to heal her wounds completely this time.

"I'm tiiiired." Sakura yawned. "Oh but what should I do, my room was destroyed? I won't be able to take a nap…" she pondered.

"That's okay!" Yachiru smiled up at Sakura. "Things like this happen all the time, so we have an emergency store of building supplies in one of the storage buildings!"

"Wait, so you mean…?!" Sakura stood nearly speechless.

"Yeah, they probably already have it fixed!" Yachiru hopped along. "Baldy's really good with tools, so I wouldn't be surprised." They entered the 11th division barracks and headed down the hall towards Sakura's room. Ikkaku and Yumichika walked toward them.

"Oh, Sakura-san!" Ikkaku waved. Yumichika's complexion changed to an odd shade of white and quickly turned to walk in the opposite direction.

"What about me baldy?!" Yachiru screamed. She jumped onto Ikkaku's head and proceeded to chew on him.

"Why would I want to acknowledge you, bratty sugar kid! Stop biting me!" he screeched.

"Ikkaku-san!" Sakura smiled. Ikkaku stopped trying to pull Yachiru off his head, turning a little pink.

"Um, I finished fixing your room…you should come see!" Ikkaku blushed, took her hand and pulled her along, Yachiru still chewing on his head.

A little farther down they came to her room, and Ikkaku threw the door open. Sakura entered slowly, mesmerized by the room. Almost every flat surface was covered in vases that were overflowing with flowers.

"Where…did all these…come from?!" Sakura said softly. Ikkaku grinned.

"This is from everyone in our division!" Yachiru jumped off Ikkaku's head and pulled Sakura over to her bed.

"This one's from me!" she said, pointing to a small vase filled with daisies. "Do you like it? Oh, what's wrong?" Yachiru asked, as Sakura's eyes filled with tears.

"I'm okay!" she smiled, wiping her tears. "No one's ever done something like this for me before…I'm just happy!" she giggled slightly. Ikkaku wanted to hug her, go to her, but then he saw something out her window.

"Hey pink brat? Where'd the sakura tree come from?" he asked, pointing. Yachiru and Sakura looked out at the beautiful cherry tree in full bloom right outside her window.

"Wooooow, pretty!" Yachiru's eyes sparkled. Sakura put a hand up to her mouth. 'This energy…' Sakura walked up to the window and looked around. She saw a ragged piece of white cloth going around the building across from where she stood.

"Hey guys, I'll be right back!" she said as she jumped out the window, and ran toward the alley where she thought she saw the white piece of cloth.

"What's gotten into her?" Ikkaku puzzled. Yachiru shrugged, knowing her adoptive father's way of doing things. "Let's go to the candy shop!" she cheered, and dragged Ikkaku off.

Meanwhile, Sakura had reached the alleyway, but the white fabric was now turning another corner at the other end. She ran for it, and, turning the corner, ran smack into that brick wall feeling.

"Owwww…" Sakura winced, sitting on the ground.

"Jeez, you should really watch where you're going." Kenpachi muttered, looking down at where she sat. "Che." he grunted as he held out his hand. Sakura simply looked at it in confusion. "Are you just gonna sit there or what?" he asked gruffly. Sakura colored slightly, and with a slight 'hmph' got up on her own. Kenpachi sighed and let his hand fall. "Well?" he asked. "What is it? Or do you just like to run into me for no apparent reason?"

Sakura reddened, then said calmly, "I just wanted to thank you."

"For what?" he asked. She blushed further and looked at the ground.

"For the lovely cherry tree you planted outside my window."

"And what makes you think I did that." he grumbled.

"Because," she said, slightly annoyed. "Because you're spiritual energy was hanging all over it."

"So just because my energy was on it means that I planted it?" Kenpachi mumbled. Sakura stared at him unbelievingly. Here she was trying to thank him and he was acting like he hadn't done anything.

"You are…" Sakura started, trying to find the words to express her frustration. Kenpachi chuckled slightly.

"You're cute when you're mad." He told her. In return, Sakura glared at him.

"You are so…INFURIATING!" She shouted at him, then stormed back the way she came, fuming about trying to show gratitude. Kenpachi stared after her, having never been yelled at like that before, especially by such a timid-seeming woman. He stood there a moment, gave out a small 'hmph' accompanied by a smile, and started after her.

After they had gone a little way, Sakura finally asked, "Why are you following me?"

"As if I would." He grumbled, keeping his face composed. "I'm just going back to the barracks."

"But the entrance is that way." Sakura said, pointing. "This is behind the barracks, don't you know that at least?!" she asked, knowing directions was not his strong suit.

"Well where are you going then?" he asked. Sakura grew slightly pink.

"I wanted to go look at my tree." She replied.

"Is that so?" Kenpachi muttered, and chuckled slightly. Sakura looked at him curiously as they reached the cherry tree.

"What?" she asked. "What's so funny?"

"Well, what would you do if I told you that it's technically my tree, seeing as how I haven't technically given it to you yet."

"But that means that you intend to give it to me." She pointed out. Kenpachi glared at her, then smiled devilishly. He stepped in close to her. She stepped back, and he moved closer again. "What are you doing?" Sakura questioned, becoming slightly suspicious. Kenpachi gave his wolfy grin in reply, and strode closer and closer until Sakura was up against the wall. She tried to slide out from the side, but he simply put his arms up on either side.

"Now what are you going to do?" he grinned, putting his face close to her. "Are you going to faint again, or are you going to freak out?"

"Neither." She replied, feeling slightly angry. Then a thought came to her. A thought that made her bite her lip to keep from smiling. She reached up, gently brushing his cheek with her hand, and hoping to give the impression of longing, parted her lips and let out a small sigh. A strange expression flickered across Kenpachi's face, which was more than enough time for Sakura to flash out under his arm.

"Gotchya!" she giggled as he turned to face her, stony face now unreadable.

"Don't play with me woman." He growled slightly.

"But playing is fun!" Sakura grinned. Kenpachi simply stared at her, which made Sakura's heart beat a little faster. She turned away to hide her warm face and the wind picked up causing her long red hair to stream behind her. In the setting sun her hair looked brighter, almost like flames sifted through each strand. Kenpachi had a sudden urge to sift his fingers through her hair, to see what it felt like. As his hand went up, regardless of what he wanted, she pulled out of his reach.

"I think I'm going to go to sleep early tonight. Kurotsuchi-taicho really wore me out with the testing and what not…um, see you later taicho!" and without looking back at him, hurried toward the division's barracks. Kenpachi almost made to go after her, to ask her what her issue was, then looked at the traitorous hand reaching after her. 'What's _my_ issue?!' he thought to himself, balling his hand in a fist, and walked in the direction of the training hall.

Sakura continued on toward the barracks. Glancing behind her quickly, she noticed Kenpachi was no longer there. Sighing quietly and shrugging she continued into the barracks to her room. Gazing at the sea of flowers, she wondered what to do with them. 'Oh whatever, I'll deal with them later…' she thought as she fell back onto her bed. She slid her hand into her shitagi, feeling the rhythm of her heart. 'What am I going to do? I've completely fallen for him…but he'll never like me that way…and even if he did, it can't work between a taicho and one of his division members, right?' she hugged her pillow to her chest and curled up on her side. Before she knew it, from the exhaustion of Mayuri's testing and her emotions, she passed out.

* * *

Me: Awww, Ken-chan you're so cute. Never knew you had it in you.

Kenpachi: I will cut you.

Me: =^_^;;= Nyao? …*GLOMPS*

Kenpachi: GODDAMMIT!


	9. SPARRING

Does not own Bleach or any of it's characters, nor do I own sea salt ice cream! But I do own Sakura, Tamaki, Ryukuro, and Kurotama. They're mine, so please don't use without my permission ^_^ Thank you all for reading this far! I'm planning on updating something like every other day? Cuz I can't stay away? =^_^;;= Nyao? So please stay tuned!

Sorry for the short chapter! Life's been crazy this weekend and it's not quite over yet ^_^;;

* * *

SPARRING

Kenpachi strode through the double sliding doors of the training hall. As he did, the men that were there scurried together, and bowed their heads with a simultaneous, "GOOD AFTERNOON TAICHO!"

"Yeah hi," Kenpachi said absentmindedly, and waved them off. He spotted Ikkaku attacking a dummy as the small crowd dispersed. Pulling off his haori, kosode and shitagi, he grabbed a bokken off the wall and surprise attacked Ikkaku. Without missing a beat, Ikkaku turned to parry his attack and stepped in for an attack of his own.

"Yo, taicho." Ikkaku parried another attack and jumped back, then froze. His taicho's normal wild grin during battle was replaced with…was it confusion? 'Must be my imagination,' he thought to himself as he shook his head and narrowly dodged again. 'His swings seem a bit harder than normal though…' More than anything, Kenpachi's expression was bothering Ikkaku. Normally he enjoyed fighting, especially if his opponent was strong, but right now he seemed frustrated. Ikkaku was so immersed in trying to figure out what was wrong that he missed dodging an attack, and went flying to the other side of the room. Kenpachi gazed at the hole in the wall, annoyed that Ikkaku had been taken out so easily, and walked over to him.

"Distracted?" He asked Ikkaku, who was leaning against the wall, blood running down a gash on his forehead.

"Mmm…" Ikkaku shrugged, wiping the blood from his face. Kenpachi sunk to the floor next to him. One of the division's lower members brought over a couple bottles of water. They sipped at their drinks in silence for a bit, Kenpachi trying to figure out why he felt the way he did, and Ikkaku trying to figure out what was wrong with his taicho.

"Taicho…is everything alright?" Ikkaku finally asked.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Kenpachi responded.

"Well, you seem…uneasy somehow." Ikkaku worded carefully. Kenpachi thought for a moment.

"Something to do with that damn woman. The new recruit. I don't know what to make of her, it's like she's a walking contradiction."

"Sakura-san, you mean?" Ikkaku flushed slightly just saying her name.

"Yeah…" Kenpachi said, noticing his companion's complexion. "You feeling alright? You look like you have a fever or something." This caused Ikkaku to turn redder. Just then, Yachiru came running through the door and barreled into Ikkaku.

"I knew it!" she chirped. "You were supposed to buy me candy Pachinko!" she squealed as she began beating him with her small hands and feet. Kenpachi chuckled slightly at the sight of his 3rd in command getting beaten by his adopted daughter. Yumichika walked up behind Yachiru and easily pulled off the now battered Ikkaku.

"We can all go." He said, gently putting her on the floor. Yachiru thought for a moment, then an adorable grin spread across her face.

"I wanna bring Yummy-chan!" Ikkaku coughed in his water, Yumichika turned white as ash, and even Kenpachi felt a little warmer all of a sudden.

"I forgot! I agreed to help with paperwork in the library! Sorry!" With that Yumichika was gone.

"Um, I need to go too, I think Tetsuzaemon and I were supposed to be sparring…" Ikkaku said, sliding out the door. Yachiru looked at Kenpachi with watery puppy eyes. He sighed. 'Why me?!'

"It's getting late Yachiru, not today. We can go tomorrow." Yachiru glared at her adoptive father.

"You just don't want to go with Yummy-chan, same as them." Yachiru shot at him. Kenpachi exhaled.

"How about this, we'll go get ice cream and I'll take you to the playground." He tried to reason.

"With Yummy-chan?" Yachiru demanded. Kenpachi sighed again.

"Yes, with Yum-I mean Sakura." Kenpachi agreed.

* * *

Me: *snorts* You almost called her Yummy!

Sakura: That's. Awkward.

Kenpachi: I wasn't gonna say it! I didn't!

Yachiru: *evil grin* Is Yummy-chan yummy, Ken-chan?

Sakura & Kenpachi: *lobster red* YACHIRU!


	10. SEA SALT ICE CREAM AND HELL'S BUTTERFLY

Does not own Bleach or any of it's characters, nor do I own sea salt ice cream! (Finally the chapter that actually contains sea salt ice cream =^_^;;=) But I do own Sakura, Tamaki, Ryukuro, and Kurotama. They're mine, so please don't use without my permission ^_^ Thank you all for reading this far! Please stay tuned!

* * *

SEA SALT ICE CREAM AND HELL'S BUTTERFLY

The next morning Yachiru led Kenpachi through the barracks, heading straight to Sakura's new room. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK! Yachiru pounded on the door. "YUMMY-CHAN! COME WITH US TO GET ICE CREAM?" Kenpachi nudged her. "Oh, PLEASE!" She added, shouting through the door. When Sakura didn't respond, Yachiru opened the door.

"Wait, Yachiru…" Kenpachi started, but the little fukutaicho had already entered and was beside Sakura's bed. Kenpachi sighed and decided against going in, opting to lean against the doorway.

"Yummy-chan?" Yachiru asked inquisitively. Gently she poked Sakura in the side, then a little harder until Sakura started giggling lightly. Yachiru's face spread in a big smile as she hopped onto Sakura's side and began tickling her in earnest. This woke up Sakura as she squirmed and laughed, trying to get away from Yachiru's little fingers.

"Yachiru, I think that's enough…" Kenpachi grumbled. Yachiru stopped her administrations as Sakura scooted to the side of her bed that was against the wall, her face burning red.

"Ah…Hi…" Sakura smiled hesitantly, looking at the ground.

"Ken-chan wanted to take us for ice cream!" Yachiru peeped.

"Oh for crying out loud." Kenpachi said, covering his face with one hand.

"Actually Yachiru…Yachi-chan, I'm not…feeling…well…." Sakura slowed, recognizing the stormy pout Yachiru directed toward her. "O-okay." She said, giving in. Picking at her wrinkled-from-sleep shihakusho, she added "Let me change real quick. Um…if you don't mind?" She asked Kenpachi pointedly. He in turn turned slightly pink and left her room with a slam of the door. Yachiru giggled slightly.

"I'll go after him to make sure he doesn't peek!" she said, and left with a much more gentle closing of the door. Once in the hallway, she found Kenpachi next to the door and jumped onto his shoulder.

"Ken-chan?" she questioned.

"What?" he asked back, slightly grumpy.

"Do you like Sakura-chan?" Yachiru asked directly. Kenpachi's eyes widened slightly at the thought.

"Why would you want to know that?" he grumbled, not knowing the answer himself.

"Cuz I wanna knoooow!" she wiggled a little. Kenpachi didn't know what to think, and chose to stay silent.

"Keeeeen-chaaaaaan!" Yachiru whined slightly after he had been silent for too long.

"You're a brat." He told her as Sakura came out of her room.

"Maybe, but you still love me." Yachiru shot back. At this Sakura giggled slightly.

"What's so funny?" Kenpachi's voice rumbled. Sakura looked at him with a smile that slightly unbalanced him.

"I suppose I'm jealous. You two get along so well." She giggled again as she slid past him in the hallway.

"So you are buying, right?" Sakura asked him impishly.

"Like I have a choice!" Kenpachi retorted, which made both Sakura and Yachiru giggle. 'I'll never understand women.' Kenpachi thought to himself.

Not too far away they found themselves at a small ice cream stand.

"Tama-chi!" Yachiru jumped on the man serving ice cream.

"Ah, Yachiru-fukutaicho!" smiled the young man. "What will it be today? The usual?" Yachiru thought a moment, then asked, "Is there anything new?" Tamaki (for that was his real name) nodded, getting a small spoon and dipping it into the freezer.

"In the human world there's a popular game and in it there is a flavor of ice cream that some people have actually started making. It's called sea salt ice cream, and despite its name it's not bad." He handed Yachiru the small spoon which was now filled with bluish ice cream. Yachiru happily accepted the spoon and stuck it in her mouth. After a moment, her eyes began to sparkle.

"Can I have that today?" she pleaded.

"Of course." Tamaki chuckled. As he began scooping, he noticed Sakura standing slightly behind Kenpachi.

"Oh, hello! Do you want something too?" he asked, as he handed Yachiru the largest ice cream cone Sakura had ever seen.

"Um, I guess I'll try what Yachiru has," Sakura said shyly. "Oh, but in a smaller cone please."

"Will do!" Tamaki said brightly. "So does Kenpachi-taicho finally have a girlfriend?" he asked. Sakura blushed furiously, and even Kenpachi reddened slightly as he covered his face with one hand. 'What is this, mess with Kenpachi day?!' Kenpachi thought to himself.

"Did I say something wrong?" he asked Yachiru when no one replied. Yachiru smiled slyly.

"I don't know, no one told me." She grinned evilly.

"No, I'm not his…" Sakura left the word hanging as she accepted her ice cream and took a bite.

"Wow, this ice cream is really good! And the weather is so nice!" She gushed obviously.

"Um…yes it is!" Tamaki smiled uncertainly. "Kenpachi-taicho, your usual?" Kenpachi nodded, reaching for his money pouch, oblivious to his cheeks still having a tint of pink in them.

"How much?" he asked. Tamaki chuckled slightly.

"No charge today." He smiled. To himself he added, 'I've had my fill of entertainment for the day. Then with a sly grin Tamaki asked, "Pretty lady, if you're alone then why don't you date me?" Sakura flushed again, and replied "That's very flattering, but, uh, no, thank you." She bowed and walked to the nearby square, with Yachiru trotting behind her.

Kenpachi, meanwhile, was scowling dangerously at the ice cream man. Tamaki smiled back. "What's the matter, taicho? You look about ready to pop a vein."

"Stay away from Sakura." Kenpachi growled. Tamaki laughed inwardly. 'Overprotective much? I can see right through you tough guy.'

"Why not? She's not yours, right? So I can ask her out if I want to." Tamaki grinned. "Besides, she is very beautiful. What guy in his right mind wouldn't want a girl like that?" This made Kenpachi think. 'She isn't mine…? Why does that bother me…'

Tamaki jolted Kenpachi out of his reverie by handing him his "Death by Chocolate" ice cream. Kenpachi accepted it and walked over to the girls slowly. "Have a nice day!" Tamaki called to them, 'and good luck' he added under his breath. Kenpachi in response flipped him off, which made Tamaki chuckle.

"What was that about?" Sakura asked when he reached them. Kenpachi looked at her intensely. 'Do I want her to be mine?' he wondered as she cocked her head to the side. Feeling slightly left out, Yachiru jumped onto Kenpachi's shoulder and waved her small hand in his face. Like a broken spell, he turned his uncovered eye away. 'Ridiculous.' He scoffed inwardly.

Meanwhile Sakura was busy observing his ice cream. Two scoops of chocolate ice cream, two scoops of chocolate fudge ice cream, smothered in hot fudge, covered in chocolate whipped cream, sprinkled with chocolate chips and chocolate sprinkles, and topped with a chocolate covered cherry.

"Enough chocolate, taicho?" Sakura asked, amused. Kenpachi glared at her, but she was distracted by something over his shoulder.

"Kenpachi-taicho…" Sakura said softly. "I think a Hell Butterfly is coming towards us…" Kenpachi shook himself and looked in the direction of Sakura's pointing finger. It was indeed a Hell Butterfly. It swooped down and perched on Sakura's outstretched finger.

"Juuichibantai Taicho, Zaraki Kenpachi. Please report to the Sotaicho's meeting room immediately." With its message delivered, the butterfly took off, floating into the blue sky.

Sakura looked at Kenpachi, troubled. Kenpachi noticed and said, "Sakura, take Yachiru to the barracks."

"Aw but Ken-chan, I wanted to go to the playground!" Yachiru pouted. Kenpachi sighed and said, "Fine. Take her to the playground then, if you wouldn't mind." Yachiru perked up at that.

"Yes, taicho." Sakura acknowledged, and took Yachiru by the hand. "So you're going to show me where it is?" she asked the younger girl.

"This way, this way!" Yachiru chirped, pointing with her free hand. Kenpachi stared after them, wondering what the old man wanted with him. He looked down at his ice cream that he hadn't even touched. Shaking his head, Kenpachi took it to a nearby trash can, then headed towards the Sotaicho's quarters.

* * *

Me: NOOOO HOW COULD YOU WASTE ALL THAT CHOCOLATE TT_TT

Kenpachi: Go ask Tamaki for one.

Yachiru: TAMACHIIIIIII! She wants one too!

Me: -_-;; Never mind…


	11. DOPPELGANGER AND KIDNAPPING!

...Selena is not a happy person. If you have read the most recent Bleach chapter, and are also a Kenpachi fan, you know why. TT_TT

Kenpachi: Why?

Me: ..._ No reason. *GLOMPS*

Kenpachi: ARRGGRGRGHHHHAAAA!

*AHEM* Anyway, back to your regularly scheduled disclaimer!

Does not own Bleach or any of it's characters, nor do I own sea salt ice cream! But I do own Sakura, Tamaki, Ryukuro, and Kurotama. They're mine, so please don't use without my permission ^_^ Thank you all for reading this far! Please stay tuned!

* * *

DOPPELGANGER AND KIDNAPPING

Kenpachi reached the door of the Sotaicho's meeting room and quietly opened the door.

"Ah, Zaraki-taicho. Come in, please." The Sotaicho's voice rang from the end of the room. Kenpachi entered the room, and came to a stop in front of the seated elder.

"What is it, old man?" Kenpachi asked, crossing his arms.

"Don't be rude," Yamamoto said, raising one shaggy eyebrow. "I've called you here because I need you to investigate something in the 80th district of North Rukongai."

"You mean Zaraki. Because I'm familiar with it I suppose?" Kenpachi guessed.

"Precisely. There has been an absence of souls from that area, as though they all just disappeared into thin air. I need you to go there, see what's happening, and eliminate any possible threats."

"Alright. I'd like to send some of the other members. There's a new recruit that needs an eye kept on, and I'd prefer not to let her out of my sight in case - "

"You speak of the girl who lost control of her zanpakuto." Yamamoto interrupted. "She is in good hands. We've had a member of the Onmitsukido watching her ever since the last incident." Yamamoto said. Kenpachi stared, partially in annoyance and partially in surprise.

"You think I wouldn't know? Kurotsuchi-taicho has been sure to keep me informed. He also told me that she now has a power limiter of sorts to prevent her from releasing even her shikai." 'I hate when the old man does that. It's like he reads my mind…'

"No, it's just you're too easy to read, especially in my seasoned age." The Sotaicho commented easily. Kenpachi scowled at him in response. 'Everyone's messing with me today…'

"Move out!" Yamamoto commanded.

"Alright Yama-jii, don't get you're fundoshi in a bunch." Kenpachi shot back, mockingly bowing to the Sotaicho. 'Like I don't have enough on my plate already,' he thought, annoyed. As he turned to leave, a member of the Onmitsukido entered the room at a full run. He skidded to a stop in front of Yamamoto and sank to one knee.

"Sir!" he said sharply.

"Aren't you the one that is supposed to be keeping an eye on the 11th division member, Tsukihime Sakura?" Yamamoto asked, obviously displeased. Kenpachi stopped, almost at the door.

"Yes sir!" the man stated. "I have set another one of my men to watch her while I was away. Sir, there is a situation." Yamamoto raised his shaggy eyebrows.

"Well? Report!" he commanded.

"Yummy-chan! Push me higher!" Yachiru giggled. Sakura smiled, and pushed the younger girl higher on the swing. She didn't notice the hooded figure striding toward them from behind.

"You must be Sakura." The hooded figure stated in a deep voice, startling Sakura. 'What on earth…' She turned to stare at the man, trying to see into the deep hood. Suddenly she was shocked. 'He…I can't feel anything from him!' Keeping her face composed, she replied, "What's it to you?" Yachiru jumped onto Sakura's shoulders from the swing, looking at the hooded figure curiously.

"Acting brave won't help you. I need you to come with me." He said, his voice barely a whisper.

"Yachiru, run!" Sakura murmured quietly. "Go get…" 'Kenpachi! No wait he's in a meeting…' "…Ikkaku-san." Sakura said, still trying to be quiet.

"But Yummy-chan!" Yachiru started, but Sakura smiled at her.

"I can handle myself alright. Now go, quickly!" Yachiru jumped off her shoulder onto the nearby slide, took one last look at Sakura, and then was gone.

"She wasn't necessary. I just need you." The hooded figure said as he advanced.

"What makes you think that I'll go with you so willingly?" Sakura asked cautiously, backing away. The man sighed, then raised his hands to the edge of his hood, drawing Sakura's attention to his hands. Covering them were metal gauntlets that ended in sharpened claw-like points.

"I didn't want anyone to see me, but you don't leave me any choice." He said as he pulled his hood down. Once again Sakura was abruptly surprised. Except for his icy blue eyes, he looked identical to Kenpachi!

"Someone identical to me?" Kenpachi growled ominously the Onmitsukido member.

"Yes, sir!" the man confirmed. "That is the moment at which I left. At that point I thought it would be prudent to inform you immediately, sir." Yamamoto contemplated the information he had been given.

"You did well. Zaraki-taicho, do you know anything of this man?" Yamamoto questioned, looking over at his subordinate. Kenpachi's lips were peeled back in a snarl, his brow furrowed more than it already had been. A series of expletives burst from his mouth, and before anyone could do anything, he was gone.

Sakura could not get the warning bells out of her head. He might look exactly like her taicho, but there was a feeling of wrongness emanating from him.

"Who are you?" she asked, keeping her voice steady. The man sighed.

"Who do I look like?" he asked as he removed one of his gauntlets. Sakura relaxed slightly at him disarming himself, and in that instant of hesitation the man was behind her and was pressing a bare finger deep into the hollow at the base of her skull. Then…black.

The man stopped her fall and slung her over his shoulder. As he pulled on his other gauntlet, Yachiru leading Ikkaku, and Kenpachi converged around the man.

"RYUKURO! PUT HER DOWN!" Kenpachi snarled viciously.

"Ah. Kenpachi. It's been a long time. Sorry, but I don't have time to stay and chat."

"Extend! HOZUKIMARU!" Ikkaku shouted as he slammed the butt of his sword against its sheathe. It had barely finished changing into its spear form, when it split apart. Several shallow gashes ran down Ikkaku's chest, shredding his kosode and shitagi.

"You thought this would harm me?" Ryukuro asked from behind Ikkaku. Shocked, Ikkaku turned but it was too late. Five elongated claw-tipped fingers ran through Ikkaku's back, approximately near his heart. Yachiru sprinted off in the direction of the fourth division, knowing that Ikkaku wouldn't survive long in that state.

Kenpachi was seeing in red. Ikkaku had fallen to Ryukuro's feet, and Sakura was still and silent, on Ryukuro's shoulder. With a snarl he began charging toward him, but stopped suddenly when Ryukuro pressed a clawed finger against the back of Sakura's thigh.

"Take another step Kenpachi. I may not be able to kill her yet, but I can still torture her if I like." Kenpachi hesitated a moment, filled with rage and yet unsure of what to do.

"Besides, if you don't take this thing to your healing squad, it'll really die." Ryukuro said, nudging Ikkaku with his foot.

"Don't worry _Ken-chan_," he said mockingly. "I'm sure we'll meet up again soon enough." And with that, he was gone.

* * *

Kenpachi: That rat bastard! *fury*

Ikkaku: ….you know, that really hurt.

Me: …=^_^;;= Nyao?


	12. THE PAST AND JUST ADMIT IT IKKAKU!

Does not own Bleach or any of it's characters, nor do I own sea salt ice cream! But I do own Sakura, Tamaki, Ryukuro, and Kurotama. They're mine, so please don't use without my permission ^_^ Thank you all for reading this far! Please stay tuned!

Kenpachi's past is all headcanon, btw. I made it up. If it actually happens, I will feel bad for Ken-chan….but giggle like an uncontrollable 12 year old. For the rest of my life. Yeah. Also sorry for the short chapter XD;;

...Also also, I just noticed that it hasn't been double spacing where I need it! Sorry for the confusion DX ...How do I fix this =^_^?=

Nanashi = Anonymous (Nameless)

* * *

12. THE PAST AND JUST ADMIT IT IKKAKU!

_The child with no name peeked out from behind a wooden beam. He watched as the beautiful dark haired woman gave a small cake to one of the many children in front of the small ramshackle house. He jumped as a boy about his age stepped in front of him._

_"You can have one you know. Come on!" he pulled the nameless child from his hiding place._

_"Yachiru-san! This boy wants a cake too!" Yachiru looked up at the young boy._

_"Oh hello there!" She smiled, and without another thought broke her own cake in half to share with him. The nameless boy looked at the cake, not understanding. "Do you have a name?" she asked gently, taking his hand and setting the cake in his hand. The boy shook his head, his long knotted black hair flinging around him. Yachiru caressed his cheek, wiping away some of the dirt._

_"Well for now we can call you Nanashi. Come, sit here so I can brush out your hair." Giving her cake to one of the younger children, she patted the spot in front of her. After a moment's hesitation, he sat down, and carefully ate the small cake he had been given as his matted hair got brushed out._

_For the next three weeks, they were almost inseparable, Yachiru to this silent child, and Nanashi to the only person who had ever shown him kindness in a godforsaken district. On the day the peace ended, Nanashi went out during the children's nap time to a nearby field that was filled with flowers. He picked a large armful before he realized there was smoke curling from the little hut. Dropping the flowers, he ran to the house, but was too late. As he came to a stop in front of the house, the whole thing fell in on itself._

_"NOOOOO!" he screamed, his voice rasping._

_"Why aren't you in there?" a voice uttered from behind him. The nameless child whirled at the source of the voice. It was…himself? But then the features shifted, and before him stood Ryukuro, the boy that had brought him over for the cake. Now he glared at the nameless child, his gauntlets fisted, the edges of them flickering with small flames._

_"You were supposed to die!" the elder boy shouted. "You stole her from me!"  
_

_The nameless boy glared back. Lips peeled back in anger and sorrow, he ran toward Ryukuro, intent on killing the other boy._

_SLASH. STAB._

Kenpachi woke with a start. He was still in Ikkaku's medical room. Sighing, he ran a hand down his face, a finger tracing the scar that remained after all this time. Glancing across the bed, he saw that Yumichika and Yachiru had both fallen asleep as well, Ikkaku's hand still wrapped in Yumichika's delicate seeming fingers. Ikkaku moaned slightly, waking Yumichika up in an instant.

"Ikkaku? Are you alright?" he asked calmly.

"Yumi?" Ikkaku asked groggily. "Taicho…where's Sakura-san? Ow, my hand!" Ikkaku winced. Kenpachi glanced at his 5th seat, who had gone from calm and collected to the verge of tears in an instant. Standing up, he brushed away unshed tears.

"She's more beautiful than me, isn't she." Ikkaku looked at Yumichika, confused. Yumichika began storming out of the room. When he reached the door, he turned with a yelled "I hate you Ikkaku!" and slammed the door behind him. Dead silence rang throughout the room. Yachiru, sleeping at the foot of Ikkaku's bed, ignored the drama of her surroundings and kept on sleeping.

"What's his problem?" Ikkaku asked Kenpachi. Kenpachi shook his head and sighed.

"If you can't figure it out, I'm not telling you." Ikkaku stared at his captain, absolutely bewildered.

"So, um. Where is Sakura anyway?" Remembering the events of the other day, he tried to sit up, but then laid back down with a groan. "You didn't let her get kidnapped, did you?!" he asked. Kenpachi looked down, filled with guilt. "Taicho!" Ikkaku exclaimed, genuinely surprised. He thought his captain could never lose, orange-haired substitute shinigami notwithstanding.

"Yama-jii is sending me after her. The Onmitsukido have been able to keep track of her, but just barely. They're in Zaraki, which has also had a large lack of souls recently. The old man figures I can hit two birds with one stone by going."

"I'll go too," Ikkaku said, struggling to get up, even though his back throbbed with pain.

"You'd only slow me down." Kenpachi said as he pushed him back onto the bed.

"I need to go! I need to see her again!" Ikkaku said fiercely, his cheeks flaming. Something clicked in Kenpachi's head.

"You love her, don't you." He asked Ikkaku coolly. Ikkaku was taken aback.

"Well, I…um…" he floundered.

Kenpachi glanced at his adopted daughter, and gently ruffled her hair. Getting up, he fixed a glower on Ikkaku. "You will stay here, or else I will call in Unohana and she will keep you knocked out until I return. Get it? I don't need you constantly getting in my way, or have your death on my hands." Kenpachi threatened in a low voice. Ikkaku relaxed into the bed, slightly annoyed. "Good. Won't be long. Keep an eye on the terror. And you should probably apologize to Ayasegawa." He said, and left the room.

'That was unexpected.' Kenpachi thought to himself as he climbed the stairs to the Sotaicho's meeting room. 'I never would have thought it in a million years…then again, Tamaki did say that bit…what was it? 'What guy in his right mind wouldn't want a girl like that.'' Kenpachi shrugged inwardly. 'Guess he was right…' He pushed open the door to Yamamoto's room, still lost in thought.

"Well. The big ape commoner looks like he's actually thinking." A voice drawled. Kenpachi focused on who else was in the room, and glared at Byukuya.

"What's the hoity toity girly girl doing here, old man?" Kenpachi asked Yamamoto, who was seated at his usual chair.

"I thought it'd be best to have someone go with you, just in case you…get into trouble." Yamamoto said carefully. Too carefully.

"I can easily handle anyone I come across." Kenpachi growled, irritated. "I don't need a pretty boy pompous blueblood for back-up."

"I am never simply back-up." Byakuya said calmly. "Besides, Zaraki, you are not one to be trusted." Yamamoto glared at Byakuya. "It's true, isn't it? Byakuya smoothly asked his elder. Kenpachi turned his scowl to Yamamoto, who sighed reluctantly.

"The Onmitsukido who watched your battle said you knew the man who attacked your 3rd seat. Seeing as how he looked very similar to you, I thought a precaution might be prudent."

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Kenpachi roared. "I'm gonna kill him when I see him! I hate that man's guts! I'd never hesitate in battle in the first place, but especially more-so if it was him!" Yamamoto was not fazed in the slightest.

"All the same, I would feel safer knowing that Kuchiki-taicho was with you." Kenpachi ground his teeth in frustration.

"Fine, but don't blame me if pretty boy 'accidently' falls in front of my sword and your down a captain." Kenpachi turned to leave.

"We haven't been dismissed yet, foolish commoner." Byakuya had not budged. Yamamoto sighed. 'Oh yes, I'm sending in the two most opposite testosterone filled men to destroy an opponent. This should be wonderful.' Out loud he shouted, "Get out of my sight! You two always give me a headache." As they left the room, Yamamoto could hear Byakuya mutter to Kenpachi, "See what you did? You angered the Sotaicho. Idiotic ape." Yamamoto swore the series of expletives following that comment must have reached the border of Seireitei.

* * *

Kenpachi: I hate you! I hate you so much I could puke!

Byakuya: I hated you first.

Kenpachi: I hate you more!

Byakuya: I hate you more, and I've hated you longer. I win.

Kenpachi: AAAGHHHRRRR KENDO!

Byakuya: Hmph. I don't even need to use my shikai to beat you.

Me: Stay tuned! This fight may never end, but the story will! (Eventually =^_^;;=)


	13. PURITY OF THE SOUL

Does not own Bleach or any of it's characters, nor do I own sea salt ice cream! But I do own Sakura, Tamaki, Ryukuro, and Kurotama. They're mine, so please don't use without my permission ^_^ Thank you all for reading this far! Please stay tuned! Also, please review/constructive criticism/whatever because I feel like my writing has been fail recently...I mean I'll keep writing but it'd be nice to know what I'm doing wrong ^_^;;

{WARNING: Those who are delicate about sensitive topics (torture and rape) may not want to read ahead...I did change the rating, so...on with the story!}

* * *

PURITY OF THE SOUL

She woke up slowly, groggily. Lifting her head created a painful sensation at the base of her skull. The room she was in was dark, dank, and from what she could feel with her hands tied together, stone. She squinted, trying to peer through the blackness, then started in surprise. Her shihakusho had been taken away, and replaced with some kind of silky dress. Sakura tried taking a few deep breaths to stave off the fear and nausea that arose from her stomach. She heard footsteps echoing through a nearby hallway, and squeezed herself into a corner of what she assumed was a cell. Light flickered through a small barred window, growing brighter until Sakura knew her captor must be right outside. Sure enough a door opened with a creak.

"How are you feeling?" the voice was the same, but his appearance had changed. Instead of her taicho, a slim man with short hair that was so pale blonde it was almost white entered the small, cramped room. He set the torch in a sconce, then turned and glared at her with that same aloof, icy blue stare as before. She couldn't figure out why he looked so angry.

"Where am I?" Sakura asked, successfully keeping the tremor out of her voice.

"I am taking you to my Lady." He said, ignoring her, wrapping a rope around her already bound hands and pulling her to her feet with it. "Follow me." Sakura hesitated. "I will drag you all the way there if need be." He said over his shoulder as he picked the torch out of its sconce. Sakura's cheeks burned in outrage, but her feet obediently followed. From the torch the man was carrying, Sakura was able to get a look at her surroundings - and also what she was wearing.

"What on earth am I wearing?" she asked. White fabric of a silky material floated down to her knees.

"My Lady required you wear that." he replied simply, keeping his eyes ahead of him. A thought came to Sakura, and she tried to bring out her sword. Nothing happened, so she tried again. Nothing. 'Akai?!' She called out in her mind, but there was no response. 'Akai!' More frantically. Again, nothing. 'Calm down,' she thought to herself. 'It might be the power limiters. Maybe if I can just get them off without him noticing…' she got closer to give herself some slack, but he simply drew the rope tighter.

"I won't object to you walking closer," the man said carelessly, "but don't try that again. We know that your ability is suppressed by those rings in your ears. If you try it again-"

"I know, I know, you'll drag me along." Sakura said, anger taking over her fear. He turned to glare at her, his eyes burning into hers, and he finished what she had interrupted, "I will rape you here in this hallway right now." Sakura face drained, her lips moved silently, and somehow her feet kept moving forward. From that point they continued in silence.

They passed a troupe of men going in the other direction carrying bundles wrapped in red silk. When Sakura looked into their faces for any kind of recognition, she noticed they all seemed to have the same dead looking faces, eyes glazed and jaws slack. These people wouldn't be able to help her, by the looks of it.

Finally they reached their apparent destination. He opened the door and led her into a luxurious room that was covered in many shades of crimson. In the middle of the room was a hook that was almost out of reach. The man directed Sakura to the hook and strung her up so she was almost completely stretched out. Then, without another word, he left the room.

"Hey, wait a second!" she called out after him, but he had closed the door behind him. 'Ugh.' Sakura thought to herself. 'At least he left the light behind…' she thought at first, but then began to notice the smell in the room. She couldn't place it at first, until she noticed the red silk strewn all over the place. They seemed to be placed over misshapen lumps, which she realized were people. Dead people. White sheets. Red, silky blood. Sakura's own blood began pounding through her veins harder, as though it might escape from lack of movement.

She jumped as the door opened. It was that man again, and this time he had brought along a couple other men, all with zombie-like faces.

"What's going on?" Sakura demanded. "What have you done with all these people?!"

The man with the icy eyes stormed over to her, knife in hand.

"Why, do you want to be one of them?" he asked viciously as he slammed the knife into the wall near her head. His face was inches away from hers. His nostrils flared and his eyes glared daggers into her own. "You will be silent unless spoken to."

"Ryukuro!" a silky feminine voice uttered from the doorway. "I believe I had tasked you to rid these husks from this room, not to terrorize our enchanting captive." Her voice neared, a thud sounding as she kicked one of the corpses on the word 'husks.' Ryukuro moved out of Sakura's vision, and Sakura got her first glance of the person who ordered her capture. The woman was slender, a red silky kimono pulled to reveal the pale skin of her shoulders. Her black hair reflected glints the color of blood, her lips painted crimson, and even her eyes sparkled like rubies.

"Well, well, well. Aren't we a beautiful little warrior." She proclaimed, settling herself onto a divan that matched the rest of the room. As she spoke, the various others set about dragging the bodies out of the room, still enshrouded in their bloodstained silken sheets, while Ryukuro stood by her chair, waiting for another order and in the meantime still glaring at Sakura.

"Your name, girl. What is it?" the woman in red asked, snapping open a folding fan.

"What does it matter?" Sakura asked spitefully. The woman nodded to Ryukuro. As he walked over to her, she said, "My name is Kurotama, but you may address me as 'Milady.'" At the word 'Milady,' Ryukuro struck Sakura across the face. Stars flashed across her eyes for a moment, before she was able to focus and hear Kurotama speak.

"I will ask one more time, politely. And you will answer me. What is your name?"

"Sakura," she breathed, "My name is Sakura. It's a pleasure."

"I don't appreciate the sarcasm, but there are more pressing matters at the moment. Your soul is unusually pure for a woman so sullied." The woman on the divan drawled. "How does a woman who is raped, and who has killed, able to keep such a pure soul?"

"How did you know-" the smirk on Kurotama's face stopped her.

"Because I was the one who sent those men after you." Sakura looked at Kurotama, horror etched into her face.

"Your soul is so pure, it's blinding. I was jealous of that brightness. So I decided to destroy it. Obviously it didn't work." Kurotama said easily, checking her nails for nonexistent dirt. Glancing at Sakura, she smiled and slithered from the divan, her long red kimono trailing behind her. "Why didn't that light die out that time? And how can I extinguish it, I wonder." Her lips flicked out over her dangerous smile.

Sakura grasped for what might be a safer topic: "What happened to all those people? Why did you kill them?" she demanded. Kurotama chuckled in response.

"Soul Society has found that shinigami are the only ones who need to actually eat to survive. I have found that eating souls also gives me power. I have decided to crush Soul Society with my own two hands, and to do so I need to eat more souls. Yours, I imagine, will only bring me to my goal that much faster. In fact, you look tasty enough to eat right now, but I suppose I shouldn't rush things along. After all, there's plenty of time to try to break you before I devour you." Sakura's eyes widened at the implication. Using the tip of her fan, Kurotama raised Sakura's head. "Oh don't look so surprised, darling. Do you think I haven't noticed that you've been glaring at me this entire time? Or the light that warns of danger in your eyes?" Kurotama ran a sharpened fingernail down Sakura's cheek, slicing the skin open. Blood flowed freely from the wound. "Ryukuro!" Kurotama snapped her fingers. "Give this lovely girl your finest welcome." She moved to relax back onto the divan. Sakura's eyes moved to Ryukuro, who had completely disrobed at the order. He walked towards her, looming in her vision until he was all she could see.

"Why are you doing this?" Sakura asked in a small voice. Ryukuro stood in front of her. With a swipe of his hand, he tore her beautiful white dress to shreds.

"Kenpachi stole something precious from me. It's my turn now." He looked at her with contempt.

And so Sakura's personal version of hell began.


	14. NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO GET LOST

The author of this fanfic doesn't own Bleach or it's characters, and doesn't own Sora or sea salt ice cream, but she does own Sakura, Tamaki, Ryukuro, and Kurotama! They're her's, so please don't use without her permission ^_^ Thank you all for reading this far! Please stay tuned!

* * *

NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO GET LOST

"Look you big ape, you got us lost!" Byakuya muttered, staring at a device in his hand. Kenpachi swiveled to glare at him.

"I'm not the one with her power limiter detector! Hoity toity princess!" he spat at Byakuya. "I can't believe we're lost! Yachiru isn't even leading me, it's this hoity toity princess, and we still managed to get lost!" He gestured angrily at the surrounding forest. Mayuri had stopped them before they had left Seireitei and handed Byakuya a detector, claiming that it would lead them straight to Sakura. 'So much for that.' Kenpachi thought, pacing.

"Hold on. I'm picking up the signal again. This way." Byakuya said calmly as he flash-stepped away.

"ARGHHH! WAIT UP YOU PRICK!" Kenpachi bellowed, running after him. Byakuya slowed to keep pace with Kenpachi, and sighed.

"This would be so much easier if you were faster. Or better yet, if you weren't with me." He mocked, then began to speed up again. 'When I get my hands on you, you are so dead pretty boy!' the thought raged inside of Kenpachi as he tried to keep up with Byakuya. And then had to skid to a halt before he accidently ran over the shorter man.

"What the hell's wrong with-"

"We're here." Byakuya interrupted. Kenpachi looked around, but only noticed that there was a break in the tree line, and a nearby meadow. Something flashed through his head, but he pushed it to the back of his head. Sakura was the only thing that mattered, and she was nowhere in sight.

"Where is here, pretty princess?" Kenpachi asked, grabbing the detector from Byakuya's hand. Byakuya ignored Kenpachi's question, and instead seemed to grip thin air, before tearing away an illusion of the forest. Before them, glowing with a residual blue and violet color of the illusion, lay what seemed to be a stone mansion.

"Noren Mekuri. It's a disillusion kido. We need to move quickly. They'll know that we've broken the illusion." Byakuya said.

"Hmph. Not a problem," grinned Kenpachi, throwing the detector behind him. "I could really use a workout to wake me up. Besides that, I really need to see some blood." His eyes glittered in anticipation. Byakuya looked at Kenpachi out of the corner of his eye.

"Don't lose your cool. I heard how you lost your head the last time, and now is definitely not the time for a stupid act like that."

Kenpachi glared at him. "Are you trying to make me lose it?!"

Kenpachi with the blue eyes was cutting her once more as he breached her over and over, while on her other side, Kurotama had bitten her neck again with fanged teeth, and was raking her sharpened fingernails over Sakura's body. At some point she had stopped feeling anything, had stopped caring. She had given up.

All at once the door flung open, and her two captors sprang to their feet in a defensive motion.

"Milady, Sir, I know you told us not to interrupt you, but there are two shinigami here, taking down our men like they were nothing but dirt!" the man who had intruded said in a distorted voice. Kenpachi rushed to the pile of clothing on the floor and started pulling things on, while Kurotama retrieved a katana and a familiar set of gauntlets from behind the chair. Just as Kenpachi had finished putting the gauntlets on, the man who had been sent back out to stand guard burst through the room, landing next to Sakura who was sitting against the wall, oblivious to her surroundings.

"This is quite the set-up you've got going on here. Got enough bodies in here?" asked a familiar voice. As Sakura registered who it belonged to, she began trembling. Kenpachi loomed in the doorway, grinning as though it was an ordinary day, until he saw Sakura. Now she huddled against the wall, trying to hide from him, tears spilling from her cheeks. Blood still flowed freely from the many wounds inflicted on her body. He ignored the other two in the room, and crossed the room to Sakura's side.

"Come here, you…" he said as gently as he could, trying not to let his fury show through his voice, but she still flinched away from his touch. Kenpachi sighed, and with a single fluid motion removed his upper garments and settled them around her.

"What's wrong Ken-chan? Did I break something of yours again?" Ryukuro taunted, annoyed at being ignored. Kenpachi stood up slowly, and gripped at his eye-patch.

"What's wrong, Ryu-chan? Did you get abandoned again?" Kenpachi uttered back. Ryukuro looked around and noticed for the first time that Kurotama wasn't in the room.

"I don't need her to kill you." Ryukuro spat in retaliation, and attacked Kenpachi with the claws of his gauntlets. Kenpachi dodged back and removed his eye-patch. Pure power exploded through the room. Ryukuro bent from the exertion of trying to not go to his knees. Sakura on the other hand, closed her eyes at the feeling. Warmth surrounded her, wrapping her in a tight blanket. Comforting warmth. She felt herself being nudged, but decided to ignore it, and concentrated on the warmth that held her.

"You are Sakura, right?" her eyes opened slowly, and a handsome man stood before her. She stared at him, unable to comprehend his words. "Kenpachi, she seems to be incoherent. I'm going to go on ahead." From somewhere behind her an assent was muttered, and before she could grasp the situation, she had been picked up and was being carried out of the room. She looked about and saw piles of bodies strewn about. She squeezed her eyes shut before she could even think of nausea, until she felt the cool fresh air, could smell the forest around them. She carefully opened her eyes to a multicolored sky, making the forest gleam with orange light.

"You'll be fine now." The man carrying her said, walking through the meadow to the forest at the other side. Sakura, soothed by his words, was quickly rocked into a deep sleep.

* * *

Kenpachi: Well shit.

Akai: …You really suck.

Kenpachi: It's not my fault! Blame her! *points at me*

Me: No it's not! It was, uh….that guy! *points at random Sora*

Sora: What, wait, what?!

Akai: *evil* MWHAHAHA!

Sora: OHMYGODOHNOGAAAAAAHHHH!

Me: and if anyone gets the reference, I will gives you a cookie. Um. Somehow? =^_^;;= Nyao?


	15. CAMPING OUT

The author of this fanfic doesn't own Bleach or it's characters but she does own Sakura, Tamaki, Ryukuro, and Kurotama! They're her's, so please don't use without her permission ^_^ Thank you all for reading this far! Please stay tuned!

* * *

CAMPING OUT?!

Kenpachi, with his eyepatch back on, found Byakuya and Sakura on the other side of the meadow, near a small stream.

"I assume you killed him." Byakuya said nonchalantly.

"No, I let him live to destroy someone else's life." Kenpachi shot back sarcastically. "Did you see anyone escape?" he asked.

"I didn't. And if you don't wash the blood off yourself by the time she wakes up, and she starts screaming, it's all your fault." Byakuya gestured to Sakura who lay at the base of a tree. Kenpachi opened his mouth to make a smart remark, but then looked down at himself and realized how covered in blood he was. "Most of the cuts that were inflicted on her look alright, but there are some that are pretty deep, and they show no signs of healing." Byakuya informed him, as Kenpachi walked into a small pool of water. Kenpachi grunted, splashing some water on his face.

"Someone got by me, I think." He told Byakuya. "It was a woman all in red, but all I really was worried about was-" 'Sakura…' "-Ryukuro and seeing him dead. I don't think she's a threat, but I'm not sure."

"Hmph. Can't even take care of one little female." Byakuya said arrogantly. Kenpachi finished rinsing off, and turned to glare at him.

"She snuck off when I was taking care of Sakura!" Kenpachi explained, annoyed.

"Can you think nothing but of killing? No of course not. You are nothing but a brute, after all." Byukuya shook his head, sighing. "I was referring to her." Byakuya indicated. "What if, while you were so intent on killing that man, the other woman had snuck back in and finished off Sakura?" he said smoothly. Kenpachi glared at Byakuya, who was unfazed.

"I guess she would have died." Kenpachi grudgingly admitted.

"And what would you have done then?" Byakuya asked. "Not that I care." He turned away from Kenpachi. As they walked back toward Sakura, Kenpachi tried to sort out his feelings. 'If she had died…' he hesitated, seeing her gentle face in light of the setting sun. 'Ever since she came here, she's been nothing but trouble…but…' memories of the short time they had spent together flashed through his head. 'Yeah. I think if she had died…I'd be in trouble.'

"Che. What a pain." He said out loud, but smiled gently. Byakuya was almost taken aback by the kind curve of his companion's lips. 'That's just not right.' He thought to himself. While Byakuya was busy being slightly stunned, Kenpachi cradled Sakura in his arms.

"Which way, girly girl?" he asked, aiming a kick at Byakuya's shins. Byakuya jumped easily out of reach, then started flash-stepping away. "Hey slow down, I'm actually carrying someone this time you know!" Kenpachi yelled.

Byakuya slowed down again, a thoughtful look on his face. "Do you know anywhere nearby that we can stop at? It might be a good idea to go somewhere easily defensible to rest and take care of her wounds." Kenpachi remembered that flash that went through his head when they arrived at the meadow.

"Now that I think about it…" Kenpachi pulled ahead, finding his way to a small clearing, and even thought it had been many years, he could still see where the small building had once stood.

"This isn't exactly what I had in mind, Neanderthal."

"Shut it pretty boy. This isn't where I had planned on going." 'If I remember right, it was a little ways back here…' He led Byakuya through the woods behind the ruins, to a cave set in the side of a small cliff. 'Used to play here when I was with Yachiru-san. Then, after I found Yachiru, we would stay here occasionally. It'll work for tonight,' Kenpachi thought to himself.

"Oh yes, a cave. How…quaint." Byakuya muttered. Kenpachi simply rolled his uncovered eye, moving to the back of the cave. Someone had been here fairly recently. A pile of furs lay against the back wall of the cave. Kenpachi looked around for other signs of someone staying there. The only other sign was a sooty patch where a fire had been, but there was no sign of fresh kindling or firewood. He laid Sakura on the pile of furs, taking his haori off her in the process. Behind him, Byakuya sighed. "I suppose I'll go gather wood for a fire. But you owe me, hulking commoner." Kenpachi ignored Byakuya, instead sitting on a nearby rock and concentrating on tearing his haori into different sized strips. Byakuya raised a critical eyebrow.

"The Sotaicho is going to murder you." He muttered, leaving the cave.

"Yeah and the funny thing is, like usual, I don't give a shit!" Kenpachi yelled over his shoulder.

Once he finished ripping up his haori, he realized his next task would be the hardest part. Kneeling beside Sakura, he turned her onto her back and carefully pulled apart the front of the kosode and shitagi. Even as the sight of her curves heated his face, the numerous inflicted wounds on her body made him wince. After checking to see that there were no serious wounds on or around her distracting bits, he used the widest strips to bind her curves. Having her curves out of sight made the rest of his job much easier. She had a few deep cuts in her arms, thighs, and there was a scratch on her cheek. He took his time, carefully binding each of the more severe wounds. Finally he finished, and covered her back up again, just as Byakuya returned with an armful of wood.

"I didn't see anyone in the immediate vicinity, but I put up an illusion barrier across the mouth of the cave, just in case. The only people that can tear it are people who are fully trained in kido. Also, while I was out, I had a thought. Isn't this woman able to heal herself somehow?" Byakuya inquired. Kenpachi could have kicked himself. He glanced at the three rings on the ear closest to him. Carefully he pulled them off her ear, turned her head, and removed the other three. At first nothing happened, but then Sakura shifted, and slowly sat up. Kenpachi knew something was off, because Sakura's eyes had that feral look in them.

"What have you done?!" Akai demanded in a low voice.

"Where's Sakura?" Kenpachi countered.

"She's…for lack of a better term, she's hiding, and refusing to come out. What have you done?" she repeated. Kenpachi looked down, feeling guilty for the second time that day.

"I didn't reach her in time." He began with what happened at the playground, but skipped over Ikkaku's feelings. Ikkaku could tell her himself, if he wanted to. Explained the meeting with the Sotaicho, and how they had gotten lost in the forest. Told her how he had come to her rescue too late. Byakuya stayed quiet the entire time, standing at the mouth of the cave and keeping watch.

When Kenpachi finally went quiet, Akai sighed quietly.

"I've got a big lug of an idiot and a silent arrogant bastard on the outside, and an unstable emotionally retarded moron on the inside. Why me…" she grumbled under her breath. A vein twitched at Kenpachi's temple, and even Byakuya seemed to hear her from the way he turned and glared at her. Akai inwardly rolled her eyes. 'Apparently can't take what they dish out either.'

"Okay, I think I get it now. The guy that was….messing with her," Akai said delicately. "You said he looked like you, right?" she asked while pulling her arms through his kosode. She waited for Kenpachi to nod before continuing, removing some of the now unnecessary bandages. "So what I gotta do is drag her ass out, and what you need to do is convince her that you aren't that asshole." Kenpachi looked at her with a slightly puzzled look on his face as she tied one of the bandages around her midsection to prevent the kosode from opening up, one to hold her sleeves back, and a third to pull her hair up with.

"Didn't you hate my guts that last time?" he asked her when she had finished putting her hair up. Akai hesitated before answering.

"I suppose…I'm a bit overprotective. I mean, what with everything that happened, and all. Besides, it was really fun fighting you." She grinned. "We'll fight again, I imagine. You'd better get ready, I'm going to pull her out now." And with that, she slumped over, lips still curved in a smile.

* * *

Kenpachi: …this is gonna suck. And it's all your fault!

Me: …=^_^;;= Nyao? …*glomps*

Kenpachi: *sighs* I give up.

Me: YAY! *snuggles*

Kenpachi: ARGGGGGH!


	16. FACE YOURSELF AND YOUR FEARS

The author of this fanfic doesn't own Bleach or it's characters but she does own Sakura, Tamaki, Ryukuro, and Kurotama! They're her's, so please don't use without her permission ^_^ Thank you all for reading this far! Please stay tuned!

...I feel like I use too many pronouns...*dies*

(*Pirate Voice* Warning! There be fluffeh fluffiness of fluffdom ahead! And OOCness! And I don't even know what else XD)

* * *

FACE YOURSELF AND YOUR FEARS

"Come on girly, you've gotta face life." Sakura was floating in the light, knees drawn up, hiding her face. She peeked out, tired of even trying. Akai floated in front of her, offering her hand. Sakura shook her head and drew herself even tighter. Somehow Akai conjured a giant paper fan from nowhere and smacked Sakura upside the head with it.

"Ow! That really hurt! Meanie! Stinky! Butthead! What's your problem?!" Sakura shouted, rubbing her head. Akai snorted. "What are you, a five year old or something?"

"Shut up! I really hate you now!" Sakura said, curling back into her ball.

"Don't make me smack you again!" Akai grinned evilly. Sakura glared at her.

"What?! What do you want?!" she demanded. Akai pointed to nowhere in particular.

"You need to leave. You can't just stay here the rest of your life. Besides, this is my place." Akai stuck her tongue out.

"Now who's acting like a five year old." Sakura muttered under her breath. She hesitated, then asked, "Is…he still out there?"

"He? He who?" Akai asked, acting innocent.

"You know who!" Sakura said exasperatedly.

"Nope. No clue." Akai shrugged her shoulders.

"Ugh. You know…" Sakura paused, seeing if Akai give in. Instead she just raised an eyebrow at her. Sighing, she completed what she had been saying. "Kenpachi?" Akai stared at her, not saying anything. "What?!" Sakura asked defensively.

"You mean to tell me, that you're terrified of the guy that gave you hope when you were dying? The same guy that put you in the position of 4th rank in his own division? The guy that covered you with his own kosode when you were sleeping? The guy that was so gentle when he pulled the shards of dishes out of your hand? Did he run away when I went into Bankai? Or when you told him about your past? What about when he planted that cherry tree in front of your window? How about when he got you ice cream? Why do you think he rescued you?" 'I can't believe I'm standing up for that big stupid lug, my worst enemy…' she sighed inwardly.

"Rescue me?! He didn't rescue me! You have no idea what happened!" Sakura shot back angrily, trying to shove those sweeter memories away.

"I know that you're being an idiot! Oh my gods! I can not believe I'm attached to you right now! That's it, if you aren't going to cooperate, I will push you out!" Akai said through gritted teeth.

"You wouldn't dare!" Sakura glared at her zanpakuto.

"Watch me!" Akai shouted, and _pushed_ Sakura out. 'Good luck you idiotic ape. You'd better be worth it.' Akai thought as she watched Sakura fade away, anger contorting her normally peaceful face.

Sakura came to with a snarl.

"Akai?" a familiar deep voice said. Sakura quickly paled, and tried to scurry around Kenpachi, but he caught her by her wrists. He tried to be gentle, but she was putting up a pretty good struggle.

"Sakura, Sakura. It's me." He attempted, trying to calm her down. Suddenly she slumped, and Kenpachi thought she might have escaped to wherever she disappeared to, until he saw tears running down her face, making him feel like an over-sized bully. He pulled her up to set her back on the furs and to prevent her trying to escape again, he sat directly in front of her.

"Sakura. Sakura, look at me. Please?" He asked, almost desperate. Bringing his hands to her face, he ignored the fact that she flinched and lifted her face, even though her eyes were closed. He simply stayed like that, waiting for her to respond.

'His hands are warm…gentle…' Sakura thought, leaning into them without thinking. Kenpachi moved one of his hands, brushing her hair out of her face to tuck it behind one ear, then replaced his hand against her jawline. Slowly she opened her eyes, dark red meeting green, and let out a soft sob. This was the man that she had met and fallen in love with. She knew he'd never hurt her like the other man had done. Crying, she fell into his arms, cradled by his warmth, soothed by his tenderness.

'Whew. I thought this was going to be harder.' Kenpachi thought to himself, patting her back. Turning his head, he could see Byakuya standing in the same place as before, keeping watch through the night and at least pretending to ignore them. Turning back, he pulled Sakura the rest of the way on his lap, scooted onto the furs and leaned back against the wall of the cave. The stone was cool against his back, but with Sakura snuggling back into his chest, he wouldn't prefer to be anywhere else.

Kenpachi woke slowly, like he always did. Morning light streamed in through the mouth of the cave. Unlike normal, Yachiru was not in his face trying to wake him up. Also odd, Sakura was no longer snuggled up to him. This made him sit up in surprise, but he had nothing to worry about. She sat just outside the cave, humming a sweet, soft melody and taking in the sun. She heard him walk up behind her, but kept her eyes closed, enjoying the morning sunshine on her face. There they stayed, near but not touching, until she finished her song, the final note high and hanging in the fresh air.

"You're voice. It's ah, very beautiful." Kenpachi said, slightly embarrassed. He didn't dare look at her, otherwise he might actually blush. Sakura looked at him, a soft smile playing on her lips.

"Thanks." She said quietly. "For everything, I mean."

"Don't mention it." He said, a light pink tingeing his cheeks. They spent a few moments awkwardly, until Sakura couldn't take it anymore. She stood up and dusted herself off, trying to pull the kosode down a little farther. It easily reached her knees, but she still felt underdressed, especially with Kenpachi so close.

"So, now what?" she asked, stepping away. Kenpachi glanced at her. She seemed shyer, but that wasn't it. He could tell she was still slightly nervous around him.

"How do I get you to trust me?" he asked. She looked at him in confusion.

"I do trust you!" Sakura said. But when he took a step towards her, she stepped back. Kenpachi snorted.

"You trust me but now I can't get near you?"

"Oh." Sakura said, surprised with herself. "But, but I was like that before!" she shot back. Kenpachi thought about it for a moment.

"Okay, you have a point." He said, taking another step toward her. It took a little forcing, but she managed to keep still this time. Her concentration made Kenpachi snicker. He grabbed her wrist, and pulled her a little closer. Smirking, he brought the inside of her wrist close to his lips.

"And if I do this?" he asked, brushing his lips faintly against her wrist. He knew the effect he was having on her; her face couldn't possibly be redder. He chuckled as he swooped in and picked her up under her knees. She shrieked and grabbed him around his neck to stop from falling. The expression on her face made him laugh even harder.

"Ooooooh, just you wait!" she said, a grin completely neutralizing the threat.

"If you don't mind," Byakuya said from behind them. Sakura managed to jump out of Kenpachi's arms and ran into the cave before anyone knew what had happened.

Byakuya snerked. Byakuya. Snerked. Kenpachi turned to stare at Byakuya, but by then Byakuya had managed to resume his composure.

"I was going to say, you guys are making me sick, but I take it back. We should be leaving, in any case." He said coolly. Kenpachi rubbed his head. 'Well, she's shown that she's as skittish as ever. But what was that sound? I coulda sworn I heard some kind of weird noise from Mr. Serious. Ah whatever. Better get the woman before she does something unexpected again.'

"Just to warn you, pretty boy will probably leave us in the dust." Kenpachi grumbled slightly to Sakura. She was ready to leave, to get further away from that horrible mansion.

"Hmph. Unlike you, who never remembers the important things, I am a gentleman. Go ahead and lead the way, Tsukihime-san." Byakuya gestured for her to take the lead.

"O-okay." She agreed, blushing lightly.

"Mine. Not yours." Kenpachi growled, placing his arms around Sakura possessively. It annoyed him that someone other than him had made her blush.

"How…crude of you. Not that I expected any better." Byakuya said, pointing his nose up.

Sakura, face bright red again, turned her head to his ear and whispered, "It's okay. I mean, I-I don't mind." Kenpachi could feel her fast heart beat against his wrist, and smiled.

"Just so you know it too." He whispered back.

"You two really are going to make me sick." Byakuya said coolly, a slightly pained look on his face. Ducking under his arms, Sakura said, "Fine." And like a shot, she was off. Byakuya shot after her, and Kenpachi followed the both of them.

He tried his best to keep up with them, he really did. But he also knew that they weren't even going their full speeds. This, of course, made it all the more frustrating. By all means, Kenpachi knew he wasn't the slowest person in the Gotei 13, not by a long shot. Trying to keep up with those two, however, made him feel like molasses. Sakura looked behind her, took note that he was lagging, and slowed her pace to match his.

"You can go along with Byakuya, you know. Don't let me hold you up," he said honestly.

"I know I can," she said, not even breathing heavily. "I choose to run with you." She smiled, which made Kenpachi almost trip, which in turn made Sakura giggle.

Within a few hours of nonstop running, the walls of Seireitei appeared.

* * *

Sakura: Hey where did Byakuya go?

Kenpachi: *chuckles evilly*

Sakura: *nervous* Selena, make him stop!

Me: =^_^= Why would I want to?


	17. REPORTING IN AND ORDERS

Oh my goodness, I'm late. Sorry guys, been a crazy couple of days. I now return you to your regularly scheduled disclaimer.

The author of this fanfic doesn't own Bleach or it's characters but she does own Sakura, Tamaki, Ryukuro, and Kurotama! They're her's, so please don't use without her permission ^_^ Thank you all for reading this far! Please stay tuned!

* * *

REPORTING IN AND ORDERS

"YOU DID WHAT WITH YOUR HAORI?!" Yamamoto shouted. Sakura resisted the urge to fan herself. When Yamamoto got angry, the entire area burned like it was mid-July.

"Sotaicho, may I be excused? I'm not the fool who forgot Tsukihime-san could heal herself." Kenpachi let out a low growl directed at Byakuya. They all stood in the Sotaicho's quarters, reporting in what had happened. 'At least I had time to change,' Sakura thought to herself. She felt much more comfortable in her own shihakusho, no matter how nice it was to be in Kenpachi's.

"No, you may not!" Yamamoto said, only slightly more calmly. "You allowed him to destroy his haori before reminding him of Tsukihime-san's ability. And you!" he pointed with his staff at Kenpachi. "That's the second one you've gone through!" he exclaimed, his voice rising again.

"Sotaicho, if I may?" Sakura asked in a small voice. Yamamoto glanced at Sakura, before nodding at her to continue. "They were only thinking of my safety, Sotaicho. And, if necessary I could make a new one for him." She said shyly. 'She could charm snakes with that smile,' Kenpachi thought to himself. Yamamoto stared hard at her, then sighed.

"You're out of trouble. This time. Next time, Zaraki-taicho, you will not be so lucky." He hit the floor with the bottom of his staff. "Zaraki-taicho, Kuchiki-taicho, you are dismissed. Tsukihime-san, I would like a word with you." Byakuya obediently left, but Kenpachi hung back, looking at Sakura. She gestured to the door with a smile. He grinned back, though he was a little worried.

Only after the door closed behind Kenpachi did Yamamoto speak. "So from what I understand, having at least your shikai could have helped you greatly." Sakura nodded, unsure of where this was going. "I think you should go back to Kurotsuchi-taicho. I will instruct him to make a limiter that still binds your bankai, but at least allows you to use shikai. Also, I have never heard of an incident like yours, so I am going to ask Ukitake-taicho to do some research, and see if he can pull anything up. Maybe he can also recover some information about this Kurotama woman. If she's as much a threat as you think she is, we need all the information we can get. And lastly, I want you to train with Zaraki-taicho, in one of the old disused arenas. If it's in a restricted environment, maybe you can learn to control your bankai, and from what I understand, Zaraki-taicho has been able to take down your bankai form before." Sakura's eyes widened slightly at each new task. She had wanted some help, but it seemed like the Sotaicho's intention was to put her at the top of her form. "Am I understood?" Yamamoto asked gruffly. "And forget about his haori. You'll be kept quiet busy, without having to worry about smaller details."

"Yes sir!" Sakura bowed deeply. "Thank you, sir!" She said, straightening with a cheerful grin.

"Good. You may go now." He watched her leave, and a barely noticeable smile crept across his worn face. 'Cute kid. Could charm snakes, I imagine.'

Sakura left the Sotaicho's office with a cheery tune on her lips. Somehow, everything had turned out alright. She made a hard turn and ran smack into a solid object. 'Now where have I felt this before.' She thought, amused.

"What did the old man want?" Kenpachi asked, but before Sakura could reply, Yachiru climbed onto his shoulder from nowhere and started pounding on him with her little fists.

"You left without me Ken-chan!" She yelled right into his ear.

"Aw shut it." Kenpachi replied easily, sticking a finger into the yelled in ear.

"Baka! Baka baka baka baka baka baka baka!" She yelled into his other ear, every 'Baka' punctuated by a smack on his head. Sakura giggled, covering her mouth to try and hide her smile but Kenpachi caught it. He glared at her as he pulled Yachiru off his shoulder against her protests.

"What's so funny?" he asked, his wolfish grin spreading across his face. 'Uh-oh,' Sakura thought, 'I know that smile…'

"Umm…" she paused. "IgottagoseeKurotsuchi-taichobye!" she yelled in one quick sentence, and dashed off before Kenpachi could even think about going after her. Yachiru, thinking it was a game of tag, wiggled free of Kenpachi and shot after her. "Well that was no fun." Kenpachi said to the empty air.

* * *

Kenpachi: So what did the old man really want?

Sakura: Oh you know. World domination. With a machine. And to learn French next weekend.

Me: And anyone who got that reference gets a cyber Death by Chocolate from Tamaki XD


	18. VALENTINE'S DAY! OMAKE!

So I know this probably wasn't what you were expecting. Short omake is short, and September is nowhere near Valentine's Day. I realize. The thing is, it's my birthday today and I felt like putting in a piece I had written when I first started the story. At the time I didn't know where to put this piece so because it's my birthday, omake! Hope you enjoyed it, and the story will continue as usual the day after tomorrow! Oh and I disclaim Ken-chan, Yachi-chan, Maki-chan, fukutaicho's, divisions, and everything else that is not from my own imagination!

* * *

VALENTINE'S DAY! OMAKE!

"Good Morning Everyone!" Sakura's cheery voice rang through the barrack's small dining hall. Yachiru's nose twitched when she saw the sack gripped in Sakura's hand. For a moment she almost lost her balance on Kenpachi's shoulder. Getting to the nearest table, Sakura set the sack down and started to pull smaller bags filled with chocolates from it.

"So the 10th division's fukutaicho told me that today, February 14, is Valentine's Day in the human world. She told me that on Valentine's Day you're supposed to give chocolate to the ones you care about most, sooooo…I made some for everyone here!" Sakura said happily, and began passing them out to the people closest to her.

"What about me, Yummy-chan!" Yachiru called out.

"Hold on a second, Yachi-chan!" Sakura replied, and digging through the sack, brought out a bag much larger than the others. Yachiru's eyes sparkled as Sakura brought it over to her.

"Here you go! I figured Kenpachi-taicho would just give you his share anyway, so I put his share with yours!" Kenpachi glared at Sakura with no effect on her chipper smile.

"Alright, I have some more deliveries to make so I'll see you all later at training!" and before Kenpachi could say anything, Sakura was off. Looking around irritated him, watching everyone munch on chocolate. Getting up, he walked to where Aramaki was sitting, and took a seat next to him.

"Aramaki…" he growled.

"Ahh, y-yes taicho?" Aramaki stuttered.

"Give me your chocolate." Kenpachi rumbled. Aramaki could only sob inwardly as he handed over the bag of most delicious chocolates he had ever eaten. 'Why does this always happen to me?!'


	19. LATE FOR

The author of this fanfic doesn't own Bleach or it's characters but she does own Sakura, Tamaki, Ryukuro, and Kurotama! They're her's, so please don't use without her permission ^_^ Thank you all for reading this far! Please stay tuned!

* * *

LATE FOR…

"Che. Not you two again." Mayuri sighed into a mug of steaming purple liquid. Yachiru had caught up with Sakura and was now perched on her shoulders, chewing on some toffee the boy at the front desk had given her. "Sotaicho told me what he wanted me to do, so I've already gone ahead and modified an extra pair for you. Take them and leave, please." He pleaded, pushing a box across his desk toward Sakura.

"What's wrong Mayurin? I thought you wanted to experiment some more?" Yachiru asked the annoyed taicho.

"You're kidding!" Mayuri glared at Yachiru. "Last time, I was too busy trying to keep you from getting your sticky fingers all over my equipment! Just leave!"

"Thank you very much, Kurotsuchi-taicho!" Sakura said with a deep bow. She managed to keep a straight face until they were outside the R&D Department. Once she had gotten far enough away, she let out a giggle that made its way into full blown laughter as she imagined the little pink-haired girl torturing Mayuri with sugar covered hands.

"Did you really do that?!" Sakura asked once she had calmed down. "Oh my goodness! Did you see his face? He was going crazy!" she exclaimed, wiping a tear from one of her eyes. Yachiru grinned.

"Mayurin is fun!" She giggled.

"So you two are getting into trouble after all!" Kenpachi grumbled, stepping in behind Sakura.

"Ken-chan!" Yachiru yelled and hopped from Sakura's shoulders to Kenpachi's.

"The old man informed me of what he wanted." He hesitated slightly, then added, "if you agree to this, you need to know I probably won't be able to hold back when we're fighting." Sakura smiled at his hesitance, knowing why he had.

"It's alright. I wouldn't prefer it any other way." She said honestly. "I need to learn how to control my bankai, and to do that means making a battle as real as possible. I can't think of anyone else who would be better for that job." She tapped a finger against her cheek, thinking. "Do you know somewhere we can go? I want to go see Unohana-taicho before we start."

"Hmm. It'd probably be a good idea to have her on hand. Let's see…" Kenpachi thought out loud, racking his brain. "I think there's an arena that isn't too far from our division's area." He said. He didn't realize it, but when he said 'our division,' he made Sakura's heart jump slightly. He did notice the slight blush creep across her face, and was about to ask her why she had, when she asked, "Okay, so then I'll get Unohana-taicho and meet you there?"

"Oh. Yeah." He said, distracted by her lips. They looked perfect for nibbling. She began walking away, then as if remembering something, turned and began walking backward.

"Oh, and taicho? Don't get lost!" she grinned. Kenpachi grinned back, his more devilish than Sakura's. Knowing he'd never be able to keep up with her, he let her run off, a smile still playing on his lips.

Yachiru watched the entire episode with interest. When Sakura was out of sight, she pulled Kenpachi out of his own thoughts by asking, "Ken-chan, do you like her?"

"Yachiru, do you enjoy being a brat?" he asked back easily, reaching over to ruffle her hair. Yachiru pouted in return.

"Ken-chan! I'm serious!" she whined slightly, knowing Kenpachi hated when she did that. Kenpachi sighed.

"I suppose I do like her. Why is it so important?" he asked. Yachiru looked sheepishly at the ground and mumbled her response low enough that Kenpachi couldn't hear her. "What?" he asked, getting slightly annoyed. Yachiru sighed a little girl sigh.

"I want a mommy. A real mommy, not like Re-chan who takes care of my boo-boos, or Yun-yun who does my hair and dresses me up. A _real_ mommy." She stressed the last bit. Kenpachi looked at her out of the corner of his eye. Slumped over his shoulder as she was, he could still see the forlorn expression on her face. He scoffed.

"I do like Sakura, but that kind of thing isn't up to me. And I'm not asking for you, so don't even ask. But," he added, "I don't think she'd say no to you." Yachiru looked at her adoptive father, looking happy and yet analyzing at the same time.

"Ken-chan, you seem like you've gotten nicer."

Kenpachi chuckled. "Bleeding with kindness, am I?" he asked her.

"Really, Ken-chan! Really!" she said, trying to convince him.

"Whatever." He said, brushing the comment away. "So long as everyone still knows their place, I could care less what they think."

"Ken-chan…" Yachiru started.

"What is it now?" he asked, starting to get annoyed.

"If we don't run there, she's gonna get there ahead of us!" Yachiru chirped, her big smile plastered over her face once again.

"Oh! You're right! Why didn't you remind me?!" he yelled at her, running off at a lope.

* * *

Yachiru: *smiles* That way Ken-chan! Hurry, hurry!

Kenpachi: You're sure?! YOU'RE REALLY SURE THIS TIME?!


	20. PRACTICE!

The author of this fanfic doesn't own Bleach or it's characters but she does own Sakura, Tamaki, Ryukuro, and Kurotama! They're her's, so please don't use without her permission ^_^ Thank you all for reading this far! Please stay tuned!

* * *

PRACTICE!

Even sprinting along at his fastest, he was late. Sakura and Unohana sat at one of the benches surrounding the large empty circle, chatting about one thing or another. Unohana noticed him first and got up to meet him.

"Zaraki-taicho…" she started, letting the words hang on frosted air. "You do not allow a lady to wait, am I clear?" she asked, still smiling. Even though it was late spring, Kenpachi felt as though he had been thrown into a meat locker.

"Um. Yes ma'am?" he said, not allowing himself to take a step backward.

"Good." She walked back to Sakura, who looked at Kenpachi questioningly. He waved off her curious glance, and strode over to join them.

"I've modified the serum Kurotsuchi-taicho created before. With luck, it should still reverse your bankai's need to feed off your blood, but instead of 5 minutes, it should last about an hour. I will stay on standby to keep an eye on things. Is that okay?" Unohana asked Sakura. She nodded, glad that it would last longer. After handing Sakura the vial that she had pulled out of her kosode, she turned and sat back down. "Whenever you're ready then." She said, smiling the whole time. Yachiru hopped down off Kenpachi's shoulder, to sit next to Unohana. Sakura looked at Kenpachi nervously.

"Any day now." He grunted. Sakura shot him a teasing glare, removed her earrings and placed them next to Yachiru. Taking out the cork, she drank the disgusting contents in one gulp, and handed the vial back to Unohana. Then she strode to the center of the arena, and began to feel Akai shifting inside her. Letting the sword materialize, she was about to let Akai take over when she had an idea. She could feel Akai agree, and turned to face Kenpachi.

"Any day now, taicho!" she teased. Kenpachi looked at her confused.

"You didn't change, you didn't even bring out your bankai!" he exclaimed roughly.

"It's alright, I want to try something." She told him. Kenpachi's emotions warred with each other. On the one hand, he loved fighting. It's what he lived for … On the other hand, he didn't want to hurt Sakura. Back and forth, back and forth. Finally he shoved away his worrying, and charged Sakura. She believed she would be okay, and besides, Unohana was right there. If anything happened, she could take care of things.

Instead of Akai seizing control as Kenpachi's blade came down, somehow Sakura was able to hold on to Akai, and when she blocked his sword it wasn't Sakura alone. It was like walking a razor's edge. Akai on one hand, pulled toward the battle. On the other, Sakura pulled her back, keeping them in balance.

Kenpachi didn't understand what was going on, but he knew she wasn't fighting at full strength. He kept pace with her, watching the extreme concentration on her face, and figured some internal battle was going on. Quite by accident, his sword grazed her shoulder, but it was so shallow that it almost instantly knit together, and Sakura was so busy concentrating on whatever it was that she hardly even noticed. When he saw the blood, he stopped, getting annoyed with the fight. He wasn't used to having to hold back by this much and it was starting to drive him crazy. Without warning her sword came slashing diagonally at his right shoulder, leaving a bloody line down his chest. Kenpachi didn't even notice that he had been cut, but at the sight of blood, Akai raged within Sakura, wanting to see more.

Sakura noticed a pattern as they fought. Each time they dodged, Akai loosened her hold, which meant Sakura also loosening her hold slightly. When they attacked, Akai tightened up, meaning Sakura had to pull back on Akai. Simply the sight of blood caused some bloodlust in Akai, because she tried to pull away so hard that it felt like Sakura was digging in her heels to avoid fading away into her soul world.

She noticed Kenpachi's smile start to get more wild, and had to pick up the pace to avoid getting cut up. With each slash and stab, it became more and more difficult to rein in Akai. When they broke apart, Sakura was breathing heavily, not from the fight but from the exertion of trying to keep Akai in check. Kenpachi saw this through his own battle lust.

"Should we call it quits for today?" he asked her, slightly disappointed. He had been enjoying this game. He grinned when she shook her head.

"I should go into bankai, to make sure what I've been trying will work, and so I don't waste that serum. Only…" she hesitated, slightly afraid of what would happen if she lost control again. Kenpachi understood her train of thought.

"If anything happens, I'll take you out." He said, trying to reassure her. It was what she wanted to hear, but it still wasn't a comforting thought.

"Alright then." Sakura and Akai both steeled themselves. "Ban-kai!"

Like before, a wind storm began swirling around her. The wings and vines sprang from her back and the claws extended from her knuckles. This time, something was different. She could somehow feel herself controlling the wind, could feel her body relax as she flapped her wings and sailed into the sky.

The tension between Sakura and Akai felt as though it had lessened somewhat, like they didn't have to worry nearly as much about falling apart. Sakura felt giddy with the power of flight. 'So this is what it's like in control.'

"Hey! Come back down here! We're supposed to be fighting!" she heard Kenpachi yell. With a grin that was both Sakura and Akai's, she swooped down. Landing in front of him, she gestured around them. A small crowd had gathered, some chatting and others watching them.

"It's kind of weird being watched like this, don't you think?" she asked him. He felt somewhat relieved. She didn't lose it after all. He shrugged in response to her question.

"Just don't pay attention to them. Ready to go again?" he grinned, shifting into an attack stance. In response, she grinned back and with a sweep of her wings, was back in the air. Kenpachi grit his teeth. "That isn't fair and you know it!" He yelled at her. Sakura blew a raspberry back at him.

"All's fair in fighting, isn't it?" Unohana smiled from her spot on the bench. Staring at Unohana, he didn't notice Sakura plummeting towards him until he felt her claws and fist digging into his back. Somehow she had managed to shorten her claws almost all the way down to her knuckles, leaving only a couple of bloody holes in his upper back. He began to turn, until he felt Sakura's breath on his ear. His face visibly reddened which made Sakura giggle. He slashed as he turned, knowing she would fly back.

"That was cheap!" he grinned at her.

"It's like Unohana-taicho said," Sakura grinned back. " 'All's fair in fighting!' Though you are right, it's kind of boring if it's so one-sided…" she said playfully. "I promise, I'll stay on the ground, just for you."

"Finally. I need something fun to do!" Kenpachi chuckled. With his sword-arm outstretched at his side, he dashed towards her, and swung at her with full force. Sakura ducked under the blade, and as Kenpachi began to swing the blade back at her, she caught his wrist and delivered a powerful, claw studded punch to his stomach. It was as though she had punched rock, even though his stomach was now bleeding in several spots. As she leaped away from Kenpachi's next assault, Sakura realized she was losing her grip on Akai. She struggled both internally as well as physically, trying to make sure Akai didn't lose it while keeping herself out of sword's reach. Over and over they clashed, sparks flying from claws and sword both. It seemed with every swish of claws and blade, Akai got more and more out of control. The thing that broke her was when she had to deflect an attack aimed at her upper arm with her bare hand. She managed to keep the sword from digging into her hand too deeply, but Akai had gone berserk and Sakura, exhausted from trying to keep in control, could feel herself fading into her own soul world, without any way of pulling Akai back.

* * *

Me: ...Kay time for food.

Sakura: Whaaaaat? You can't just leave me hanging...*puppy eyes*

Me: ...*ZOOM ESCAPE*

Sakura: She's so mean... ;A;


End file.
